Book Review - The Beauty of Broken Things by Victoria Connelly

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Title: The Beauty of Broken Things

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: 9th June 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

United by tragedy, can two broken souls make each other whole?

After the tragic loss of his wife, Helen, Luke Hansard is desperate to keep her memory alive. In an effort to stay close to her, he reaches out to an online friend Helen often mentioned: a reclusive photographer with a curious interest in beautiful but broken objects. But first he must find her—and she doesn’t want to be found.

Orla Kendrick lives alone in the ruins of a remote Suffolk castle, hiding from the haunting past that has left her physically and emotionally scarred. In her fortress, she can keep a safe distance from prying eyes, surrounded by her broken treasures and insulated from the world outside.

When Luke tracks Orla down, he is determined to help her in the way Helen wanted to: by encouraging her out of her isolation and back into the world. But Orla has never seen her refuge as a prison and, when painful secrets and dangerous threats begin to resurface, Luke’s good deed is turned on its head.

As they work through their grief for Helen in very different ways, will these two broken souls be able to heal?

Such a beautifully written story, that is ultimately heartwarming and uplifting, despite the incredibly sad and upsetting things that our two main characters have been through.  But since meeting and spending time together, Orla and Luke are both perhaps just starting to heal and help each other. 

Luke's world was turned upside when his wife suddenly denied incredibly unexpectedly.  Orla lives in a castle 3 hours away from Luke, and hides herself away from the world - she is the ultimate definition of self isolation - and the only connection between Luke and Orla is a social media site. 

For Luke's wife Helen loved the Galleria site (similar to instagram), and follows Orla's account and they have formed a friendship online without even knowing each others names. Helen sensed something about Orla and wanted to help, but then her life was tragically caught short. 

Once Luke tracks down Orla, and they somehow slowly get to know each other, the story really does take on a life of its own. 

Orla's account focuses on beautiful objects that have minor imperfections, she loves being able to find and highlight the beauty in broken things, and Helen (who although we only meet her briefly is a huge character in the book),  also has started to love finding that same beauty in the imperfect. 

What I found really moving, gripping and had real empathy for, was when Orla finally explains to Luke just what happened to make her the way she currently is. I won't tell you any details but its completely understandable that she would now live her life in the shadows as a result of what she went through. 

Victoria Connelly's writing seems to go from strength to strength, and as much as I love her lighter hearted Austen Addicts and Booklovers series, this is probably her best book to date.   Absolutely loved it! 

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,. 

Book Review - Scenes from a Country Bookshop by Victoria Connelly

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Title: Scenes From A Country Bookshop

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author Supplied Copy

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 6th November 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Josh Nightingale has always been married to his books. Happy to run his bookshop in the small town of Castle Clare, he’s never really had time for romance and truly believes that he’s never going to fall in love. But, when April Channing opens a new shop opposite his, everything changes.

Sweet and attentive one moment, abrupt and aloof the next, Josh really can’t understand April at all. What exactly is going on? Josh is pretty sure that the answer can’t be found in a book.

Join the Nightingale family once again for this deliciously heartwarming novel, the forth in The Book Lovers series, by the bestselling author of The Rose Girls and A Weekend with Mr Darcy.

I was so delighted when this landed on my kindle, that I pretty much had to start it instantly.  It was a joy to be back in Castle Clare, amongst the Nightingale family. 

Josh is the quietest member of his family, he's a bit of an introvert and loves his books and his bookshop and doesn't really do much else.   However when he meets April who takes on the shop opposite his bookshop, his life suddenly exists in technicolor. 

Yet nothing with April is quite as  it seems, I twigged one of her secrets quite early on, but the rest I was on the same journey of discovery as Josh with.  

She is s complex woman, and I loved her outlook on life, and also her unconventional family set up.  

It was great seeing all of Josh's family again, and catching up with people that we have met in the previous books.  This though easily stands alone, and the main focus is on Josh and April. 

I also enjoyed one of the book club members opening up to Josh about his own first love, and his sibling relationship.  It was good to for Josh to get an outsiders perspective on his own love life. 

I would love to tell you more about this fledgling potential relationship, but I don't want to risk spoiling the bigger story lines, that are really interesting. 

I also learnt a lot about the Bloomsbury Group from this book, not being someone who particularly reads classical literature I had no idea about the group that involved Virginia Woolf.  At times I wasn't really sure about the references but I got the gist, and I suspect if you have heard of them and their philosophies those bits would make even more sense to you. 

I couldn't get enough of this book, I found like I always tend to with Victoria Connelly books that it was an incredibly fast and enjoyable reading experience. 

I have everything crossed that this won't be the last book in the series, I really do need more from this family of bookworms, book sellers, book addicts and all around book lovers!! 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,  

Book Review - One Last Summer by Victoria Connelly - #HolidayReading Thailand

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Amazon UK

Title: One Last Summer

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing 

Publication Date: 5th February 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

They have the whole summer ahead of them. Is it enough to rekindle the friendship they once shared?

Harriet Greenleaf dreams of spending the summer in a beautiful ancient priory on the Somerset coast with her two best friends—but her dream is bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s a chance to reconnect three lives that have drifted apart; on the other, she has a devastating secret to share that will change everything between them forever.

First to arrive is Audrey—the workaholic who’s heading for a heart attack unless she slows down and makes time for herself. Then Lisa, the happy-go-lucky flirt who’s always struggled to commit to anyone—or anything. Ever the optimist, can Harriet remind them of the joy in their lives and the importance of celebrating good friendship before it’s gone?

Through the highs and lows of a long, glorious summer, these three women will rediscover what it means to be there for each other—before they face the hardest of goodbyes.

Beautifully written, incredibly uplifting celebration of friendship - this is the story of Harriet who knows time is running out and she is determined to give her two best friends one last summer to remember,. 

Harriet is full of strength and clearly loves her two besties Audrey and Lisa, even though they have barely spent much time together in the past 6 years. 

This is a summer in which not only does Harriet have to reveal her reason for the get together but the other women all develop and learn more about themselves too.

Like I find with all of this authors books, the pages flew past incredibly fast,  and I was sucked into the story very easily. 

I loved the setting of this book too, The Priory, which was a big atmospheric building, that is having some restoration work done to it. 

The three friends, experience a lot over the course of the book, and although there are sad emotional undertones throughout, there were only a couple of moments where I found a lump in my throat.

A fabulous story that I am delighted to have had the opportunity to read. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Natural Born Readers by Victoria Connelly

Amazon UK

Title: Natural Born Readers

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 26th September 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Ben Stratton and Bryony Nightingale. Everybody thought they’d be together forever. But, when Ben leaves the small market town of Castle Clare to travel the world, Bryony is heartbroken, seeing his departure as the ultimate betrayal.

Throwing herself into her work running the much-loved children’s bookshop, Bryony determines to forget Ben and to start dating again. But Ben doesn’t make it easy for her, sending her postcards filled with his love and posting her foreign editions of all the great romantic novels from the countries he’s travelling through.

Then, after six long years, the unexpected happens and Ben returns, determined to win Bryony back. But will she forgive him and does he have the courage to tell her the truth about why he left her?

I can't believe I have taken around 6 months to get around to reading the this third book in The Book Lovers series, given how much I loved the first two and how much of a book lover that I am too.   I felt right back at home in Castle Clare amongst the wonderful Nightingale family. 

If this is your first visit to this series, then not to worry as it can easily be read as as standalone as it focuses on a different member of the family to the other two, but I would recommend you go read them anyway as they are all fabulous. 

Bryony runs the Children's book shop, and has never forgotten her first love Ben, who has just returned after six years of travelling the world.  However although deep down in your hearts you know how you want the book to end, the characters seem rather obstinate, and the journey of reaching that end point is anything but smooth. 

We get to see how the rest of Bryony's family is progressing with their stories, but the storyline that I enjoyed the most was Flo and her great nephew Sonny. I loved everything about Flo and her menagerie of animals. 

If I uttered trumpets, donkeys and doctors in the same sentence while laughing at the memory  of the situation in the book, I bet you couldn't work out what I am referring to, but I can assure you when you get to that you will know just what I mean. 

There is something just so warm and cosy about the writing in this small town romance, featuring this family of book lovers that have the most marvellous multi generational sunday lunches, and all seem to look out for and love each other, and are all  delighted that Ben is back from his travels, while feeling guilty that they want to see him despite knowing that Bryony never got over him.  

I loved every moment of this heartwarming story, and at times I completely lost track of where I was while I was reading it. I was very lucky not to miss my stop and hadn't even noticed when my tube went underground!  Thoroughly enjoyable, Natural Born Readers gives hope for all bookworms that you may meet a book loving soul mate eventually.  

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

Book Review - The Heart of the Garden by Victoria Connelly

Amazon UK

Title: The Heart of the Garden

Author: Victoria Connellly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: 22nd February 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Morton Hall, with its beautiful, ruined grounds and its reclusive mistress, Emilia Morton, is full of mysteries. For freelance editor Anne Marie, the wild garden has become a serene and secret refuge from her loveless marriage. The only other regular visitor is Cape, the hall’s part-time gardener, who is forbidden to tend to anything except the magnificent maze or to meet his enigmatic employer.

When Emilia dies, Cape and Anne Marie are astonished to find themselves among an unlikely group of villagers named in her strange will. Morton Hall, including its dazzling art collection and once glorious grounds, can belong to the community forever, but only if they work together to bring the garden back to life within a single year.

As they try to put their differences aside to restore the tangled grounds, long-buried secrets are unearthed. Can the past be forgiven as hope and new love begin to bloom?

Another fabulous book from Victoria Connelly.  I really felt as though I got to know Morton Hall and its gardens in great detail. 

I loved finding out about the gardens, and seeing what Anne Maries and the others would discover in there next as an unlikely group of strangers inherit the Hall and their first task is to sort out the garden as it was rather overgrown.   

Learning about the different members of the group, and seeing how alliances were formed and even new friendships was inspiring and comforting. A complete mix of personalities but they do have things in common and it was lovely to see. 

There are three main storylines and characters.  We have Emilia whose story in the 80s we are told, of young love and its through that you start to understand a lot more about Morton Hall and its history and the Morton family. 

There is Anne-Marie who is in a tricky marriage and I don't think much of her mother either. She was going to the gardens of Morton Hall even before this rather strange group inheritance and no one ever really noticed she had gone. 

Then there is Cape who is the hall's gardener, and his daughter Poppy who also had a really enjoyable storyline. 

The Heart of the Garden really does show how gardens can heal people, bring them together and give even the least green fingered amongst us a good sense of belonging.   Really enjoyable book that I had a good time reading. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Christmas with the Book Lovers by Victoria Connelly

Amazon UK

Title:  Christmas with the Book Lovers

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 31st October 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Callie Logan hasn’t been able to stop smiling since meeting bookseller Sam Nightingale, and she’s thrilled to be spending her first Christmas with his family. For the Nightingales, Christmas Eve is a time for sitting around the fire at Campion House, eating mince pies, drinking mulled wine and reading ghost stories.

As the winter night draws in and the snow begins to fall, the family remembers the Christmas when Sam read from a book over a hundred years old and how strange things started to happen afterwards. Can a book really be haunted? And why is Callie now anxious about the Christmas present she’s bought for Sam?

Christmas with the Book Lovers is a sparkly, spooky novella about family, friendship and love from the bestselling author of The Rose Girls and A Weekend with Mr Darcy.

Completely unexpected, and I read it on one sitting in around 45 mins. Couldn't tear myself away from this book. 

Being a rather short novella there isn't much I dare say about the plot, other than although the book is set at Christmas Eve, take note of the incredibly clever Halloween publication date. 

This book is Callie's first Christmas with Sam and his book loving family the Nightingales. This is in a way a nice follow up to book 1 of the Book Lovers series, but can easily be read as a standalone without any prior knowledge. 

There is just enough creepy and weird happenings in this book to make me feel that I may not sleep well tonight. The second I opened the book though I was right at home with Victoria Connelly's always wonderful writing, and although its a novella, you definitely feel as though you have had more than just a showcase for the author's writing. 

This we definitely a rounded story, that would be a must read for lovers of all books at any time of year and not just at Christmas. It has reminded me how much I love this series and that I really need to read the third full length book in the series.  

Any book that has held my attention so well when I've been really pushed for concentration and time recently deserves a round of applause from me. 

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

Book Review - Love in an English Garden by Victoria Connelly

Amazon UK

Title: Love in an English Garden

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: 14th March 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

The Jacobs family has lived at Orley Court for generations. But when Vanessa Jacobs is widowed and left to manage the property, she finds costs spiralling out of control. In order to stay in their beloved home, she and her daughters will have to sell part of it off—a decision that drives a wedge between Vanessa and her mother-in-law.

The new owners of the north wing are Laurence Sturridge and his father, Marcus. Both of them long for an escape: Laurence from the monotony of his City career; Marcus from the grief of losing his wife. Could the beauty of Orley Court offer them a fresh outlook on life?

As the two families embark on a challenging new chapter over the course of a glorious English summer, secrets are revealed and relationships tested. But as Orley Court begins to weave its magic over them, will it be love, above all, that brings the two families together?

It may sound bizarre but I found Love in an English Garden to be an incredibly calming read, perhaps because of the large focus of gardens, and working in the great out doors. It is from the characters love of nature that you really get to know more about all of them. 

Not only did the book have a calming affect on me, but I also loved every second of it, which didn't really surprise me as I do tend to be a big fan of Victoria Connelly's books.  I literally couldn't put it down for the perhaps four hours solid it took me to absorb every single word. I loved the writing style, and the focuses on a variety of characters, so you got to know a bit more about all of the main players. 

There is the Jacobs' family who own Orley Court, but the only way they can afford to still live there is to sell the North wing, and divide the property into two.  The Jacobs are mother Vanessa, who is starting to move on with life as a widow, daughter Tilda who loves music but has fallen out of love with the music industry, and Jassy. Jassy spends most of her time in the Oast House and is on the autistic spectrum. She adores painting and is always found either talking about painting or creating art. She doesn't overly like change, and tends to be quite outspoken and honest, which are endearing qualities. 

There is also mother-in-law, Dolly who seems to hate Vanessa, also lives in Orley Court and is opposed to anything that may make life better for them all. She especially takes exception to the the team Vanessa hires to look after the garden. 

Enter Jonathan and his team of young offenders, who are being rehabilitated with honest hard work, and are a great bunch of youngsters to get to know. 

Then there are the people that bought the north wing, father and son, Marcus and Laurie. Marcus has seemed lost since his wife died two years ago, and Laurie is needing a change of pace. 

Watch out for unlikely alliances forming, friendships blossoming, and sprouts of romance being planted, with all of these vastly varied characters. 

There are a whole host of storylines, which all work together with the focus on the two families and their garden. It may sound when I put it like that rather mundane, but in fact, its fabulous, with so much focus on the people, the interactions, to such an extent that I'm sad the book has finished and that I won't be able to spend any more time at Orley Court. 

Thank you so much to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Rules for a Successful Book Club by Victoria Connelly

Amazon UK

Title: Rules for a Successful Book Club

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy 

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 14th February 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Polly Nightingale never meant to fall in love again especially not with a biker thirteen years her junior. But then Jago Solomon enters her life with a guitar strapped to his back, and Polly and her six-year-old son, Archie, know that they’ve never been happier. 

But what happened three years ago when Polly’s husband, Sean, went missing? And what will it mean for Polly and Jago if her past ever catches up with them? 

Well I was expecting another book with lots of bookish references and although I wasn't disappointed on that score, the book club is only a very small part of this story. The heart of it is Polly's story and how she is just starting to get to grips with the possibility of moving on, after husband Sean went missing three and a half years ago. 

As much as Polly fights it, and she really doesn't want to give in to what is clear to the reader, and she tentatively gets to know Jago Solomon a lot better. He is younger than her, but doesn't seem to mind the missing husband, nor Archie, Polly's six year old son. 

Archie is adorable, and shows a maturity and level of caring not often seen in children as young as six, and I loved hearing about his fledgling guitar lessons with Jago. 

This is the second book in The Book Lovers series, and can easily be read as a standalone. There are enough references to the key points of the first book, for you to easily pick the series up from Book 2. For fans of the first book, you will be glad to see Callie still gets some of the focus, as does Sam's book shop. 

In fact all the Nightingales are back in force and their Sunday lunches are always entertaining. I am loving this whole book mad family.  Sam and Polly finally get their book club off the ground, and there are some slightly eccentric characters attending, in addition to snack one-upmanship. 

When the action hots up in the second half of the book, Victoria Connelly proves she can tackle a tough subject really sensitively and as some revelations were made I felt more and more sympathy for Polly. 

The book is easy and pleasurable to read, and is definitely up to Victoria's usual quality of storytelling. I loved Rules for a Successful Book Club and can't wait to see if and what is in book 3. 

Thank you to Victoria Connelly for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - The Book Lovers by Victoria Connelly

Amazon UK

Title: The Book Lovers

Author: Victoria Connelly

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 27th August 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Author Callie Logan never expected to swap her life in London for one in rural Suffolk but, after the breakdown of her marriage, she decides that a fresh start is just what she needs. Finding Owl Cottage in the tiny village of Newton St Clare, Callie determines to give up on love and throw herself into her work. But fate seems to have other ideas and she soon has two very different men vying for her attention. 

First there's Leo who likes to live on the wild side which usually means taking his dates foraging in the local woods for their supper. Then there's Sam Nightingale, owner of Nightingale’s bookshop. Sam, recovering from a divorce, has also vowed to embrace the single life. That is, until he meets Callie. 

But is Callie willing to risk her heart again and, if she is, will she make the right choice? 

The Book Lovers is the first in an exciting new series by the bestselling author of The Rose Girls and the Austen Addicts. 

If you are a regular visitor of my blog, or in fact of any book blogs, love books and love a good story, then The Book Lovers is definitely the book for you.  In fact I would suggest you stop reading this review, take my word for it that its a great book, and start reading it for yourself. 

I suppose there is of course the chance that you may need a bit more persuasion, or are genuinely interested in what I thought, and don't want to impulse buy based on an opening paragraph, which is understandable. 

It may have been a few years since I last picked up and read a Victoria Connelly book, but once I spotted this had been released, I knew it wouldn't take me long to make the time to read it, and I am so glad that I have. It is a very easy to read story, about Callie who is a children's author, who has moved to Oak Cottage in Suffolk, to recover from her marriage breakdown. There is also Sam Nightingale, one of the massive Nightingale family, all of which are involved with books, with 3 book shops among them. 

Sam runs a second hand book shop, and Callie is hooked on it, the second she steps foot in the place. If you have ever wanted to discuss books with an informed independent book shop owner you could do a lot worse than visit Sam's shop. Although I don't fully appreciate it myself, there is a great discussion about book sniffing early on, as well as a mention of other issues relevant to books and book lovers. 

Callie also meets Leo Wildman who is a big fan of walks in the woods and foraging for fresh produce from which to cook with. Callie's first meeting with Leo is in a rather bizarre situation, but before long they have hit it off and are enjoying each others company. 

I loved all of the Nightingale family that I had the fortune to meet, including Grandpa Joe (which every time I read that I thought instantly of the Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and Bryony who is the bundle of energy running their children's book shop and very excited that Callie is now living in their little village. 

The Book Lovers is a gentle, easy to read romance that will leave you nodding with recognition at some points, and generally feeling good after you have read it. I firmly believe The Book Lovers is a fabulous way to open a brand new series by Victoria Connelly.