The Secret Seaside Escape by Heidi Swain

Tess Tyler needs a break. Weighed down by her high-pressure job and her demanding father, she's left little time to take care of herself. But after a shocking discovery sends her spiralling, she flees to Wynmouth, the seaside town she fell in love with as a child, to escape it all.

With its sandy beaches, stunning rock pools and welcoming community, Tess feels like she can finally breathe again. And as she grows ever closer to local barman Sam, she dares to dream that she might never return to her real life. But when a familiar face returns to town, Tess realises that there are secrets in Wynmouth too, and that her own past may be about to catch up with her . . .

I had been waiting to read this one as I’m reading all of Heidi’s books in publication order, but I realised this book is the first in the Wynmouth Series, and Heidi’s soon to be published next book is the second in the series. So I jumped on it to be ready for Underneath the Christmas Tree.

I love all of Heidi's books I’ve read so far but I think this one may be up there for my favourite! There was just something about this one that made me feel extra warm inside and happy. 

So Wynmouth sounds absolutely gorgeous, lush beach, friendly residents, and cosy places to hang out. I love the fireplace in the pub, it just made it sound very cosy and comfy, somewhere to sit wrapped in a jumper with your friends. And Sam the barkeep, ok so I love him. I think he is my favourite so far of all the men folk from Heidi’s books. There was just something about him, something so very kind and sweet. 

The Secret Seaside Escape is actually packed with surprises. I did guess one or two, and was glad to realise I was correct, but there were a couple I didn’t guess too and was pleasantly shocked!!

If you like warm heartfelt books then please dive into this one, it’ll be sure to make you feel better on these cold autumn/winter days.

The Rebel Suffragette by Beverley Adams

The suffragette movement swept the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Led by the Pankhurst's, the focus of the movement was in London with demonstrations and rallies taking place across the capital. But this was a nationwide movement with a strong northern influence with Edith Rigby being an ardent supporter. Edith was a controversial figure, not only was she was the first woman to own and ride a bicycle in her home town but she was founder of a school for girls and young women. Edith followed the example of Emmeline Pankhurst and her supporters and founded the Preston branch of the Women's Social and Political Union. She was found guilty of arson and an attempted bomb attack in Liverpool following which she was incarcerated and endured hunger strike forming part of the 'Cat and Mouse' system with the government. During a political rally with Winston Churchill Edith threw a black pudding at a MP. There are many tales to tell in the life of Edith Rigby, she was charismatic, passionate, ruthless and thoroughly unpredictable. She was someone who rejected the accepted notion of what a woman of her class should be the way she dressed and the way she ran her household but she was independent in mind and spirit and always had courage in her own convictions. As a suffragette, she was just as effective and brave as the Pankhurst women. This is the story of a life of a lesser known suffragette. This is Edith's story.

I was asked to be on the tour for Beverleys book and was more than happy to say yes!

This was an interesting read. I knew stuff about The Suffragettes as most of us do, mostly the big names we’ve learnt about in school. So to read about Edith Rigby was quite fascinating. 

She was a very strong willed woman and I’m glad to know she was fighting our corner so hard, and we now have the rights we do today. My daughter is eyeing this book up so I’m sure she’ll be having a flick through it too!

Thank you so much as always to Pen and Sword Books, Rosie, and of course Beverley, for my copy of the book.

Pen And Sword Books are offering free P&P when you use the code REBEL on their website, so hop to it!!

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun

 

In the summer of 2002, nineteen-year-old Kim Hae-on was murdered in what became known as the High School Beauty Murder. There were two suspects: Shin Jeongjun, who had a rock-solid alibi, and Han Manu, to whom no evidence could be pinned. The case went cold.

Seventeen years pass without justice, and the grief and uncertainty take a cruel toll on her younger sister, Da-on, in particular. Unable to move on with her life, Da-on tries in her own twisted way to recover some of what she's lost, ultimately setting out to find the truth of what happened.

I received a gorgeous proof parcel from Head of Zeus for which I’m very thankful for (the chocolates were amazing by the way). And I was excited to be asked to be on the tour!

This is possibly the first translated fiction I’ve read, and it was a good experience. I also read this alongside my friend Kath who received a proof too. I was good to hav someone to chat with about it while reading. 

This book is short, and quite an easy read, I was thrown off a little at the start with the peoples names and was a bit confused as to who was who, but I soon figured it out. 

To be honest I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this book, maybe a little more of a thriller , but it does keep you guessing! Me and kath had a couple of discussions on who it was, what had happened etc. Totally different to what I was expecting and still I’m not quite sure if I really know what happened! I think I will be giving it a re-read so my rating might change !

Thanks for letting me be on the tour HOZ, and please everyone check out the other stops on the tour!

Meet Me in Tahiti by Georgia Toffolo

 

Zoe has spent her life facing battles: fighting her parents for independence, struggling with her feelings for local bad boy Finn and, after a car accident at eighteen, adjusting to the fact she would not walk again. She remained strong until the day Finn, the person she thought she could trust, broke her heart... Now a successful travel writer, Zoe is excited to review a new luxury hotel in the beautiful South Pacific - until she meets its owner...

Finn was never good enough for Zoe. He knew it. Zoe's family knew it. The village of Hawkes Cove made sure he knew it. Proven when he let her down in the worst way possible. Now a successful businessman, he thought his past was behind him, until a journalist turns up to review his new resort...

As Finn shows Zoe the exotic wonders of the islands both face the fact their shared past might just be the beginning of a future. But only if Zoe can win the biggest battle of her life...facing up to her heart's desire.

I almost missed this book and noticed it the day before publication day!! So of course I ordered it straight away to go with the others. I loved the first 2 books in the series so was excited to get on with this one.

I love the fact they’re all intertwined, characters from the past books pop up every now and again, and the history between all four girls is always at the heart of the story. This book, book 3, is Zoe’s story. If you’ve read the other books you’ll know about Zoe and the accident. I’ve been waiting to read more about her, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Zoe is a very strong woman, she has faced massive things before in her life, but she hasn’t let anything stop her from doing what she wants to do. I loved reading about her, getting know her, and I was cheering her on the whole way through the book to get what she wanted! I really I liked Finn too, he seems a real nice guy and I wanted things to work out the way they wanted it to.

I shall say no more, except I’m really excited for book 4 to come out next year!! Meet Me At The Wedding looks to be a fab book, I’m just hoping it isn’t the last one!

The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

Every story has its secrets.

Every mystery has its motives.

“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. There’s a joy to it. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet.” 

The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it’s what she discovered. 

London, 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie. 

The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing?

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Pan Macmillan and Netgalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.

This was Tsundoku Squads September read, our 9th together. We were quite excited for this one, especially as a few of the group are big Agatha fans. I’ve actually only read one Agatha myself but had heard about her disappearance and it intrigued me.

I’m sad to say I found myself not really enjoying this one much. I think we all agreed we were expecting more Agatha and really this could have been a story about Nan and not even mentioned Agatha at all. I enjoyed parts of Nans story, but didn’t like her from the start knowing she was having an affair with Archie, Agathas husband. I admit I skim read he last half maybe, after not getting on with it much at all.

I have heard good things from others though so please don’t let me put you off!

Thanks again to Pan Macmillan, Nina de Gramont and Netgalley for my review ebook.