The Legacy by Ann Evans

                                                          

Ebook:  346 pages

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural, 

Publisher: Independently published

Source:  Purchased from Amazon

First Sentences:  "Can I have this one?" Picking up the drawing Adam had just finished, Maggie scrutinised it closely. "Who is she? She looks so sad."

My Opinion:  

As this author lives locally I decided that I would read 'The Legacy'  The story of the main characters are all interweaved and linked to a house "Awelon" that is the hub of this intriguing story.

I found the many local references of particular interest. Would recommend this to readers who like an easy gratifying read, particularly those that know the locality, or are holidaying in the Aberdyfi and Tywyn area. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

When artist Adam and his wife Maggie move into the big white house overlooking the bay they can scarcely believe their luck. A drawing of a mystery girl, however, is about to change their lives forever, and those of many other people. Who is she, and what does she want from them? The answers have far-reaching consequences. The Legacy is an intriguing tale of mystery, romance and the supernatural.

Author Profile

                                                     

                                                                                                                                                 

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 No Biographical Information Available

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The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page

                                                

Paperback:  412 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction,                                         

Publisher: Harper Collins 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The scent of the rain summons the memory. Uninvited. Unwanted.

Review Quote: 'A gorgeous, gorgeous book.This is such an engaging read, packed with light, colour and kindness.' Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins

My Opinion: 

A friend recommended Sally Page to me last year and I have now read and throughly enjoyed all three of the titles she has so far published.  

In 'The Secrets of Flowers' the protagonist Emma is finding it hard, one year on to come to terms with the death of her husband.  In an effort to move on she gives up a scientific research career to work in a garden centre and train as a florist. Emma's love of flowers and an unexpected interest in the Titanic make for an emotional read as she unravels the mysteries she discovers. The parallel storyline about the real life person, Violet Jessop who worked on the Titanic ties this heartwarming tale together perfectly.

What a captivating read this is with such believable characters involved in an interesting Titanic storyline. Highly recommend to readers that enjoy a heartwarming read and love flowers. As you read you can almost smell them. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

From the author of the phenomenal bestsellers The Keeper of Stories and The Book of Beginningscomes an utterly beautiful and uplifting novel.

One year on from the death of her husband, Emma feels no closer to moving forward with her life. Seeking distraction, she quits her job and begins working at the local garden centre.

Here, Emma begins to open up and finds herself attending boss Les’ talk on the Titanic. Intrigued, Emma sets out to research who would have arranged the flowers on-board.

Alongside her story unfolds the tale of a stewardess on the Titanic, who Emma can’t help but feel connected to…

With an array of inspiring and heart-warming characters, this is a novel of friendship, unexpected connections, and of hope.

Previous Review:  The Keeper of Stories.  The Book of Beginnings

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Author Website

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her younger daughter is the author, Libby Page. Both are keen wild swimmers.

Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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Bad Influence by C.J. Wray

                                         

Hardback:  330 pages

Genre: Humorous Contemporary Fiction

Publisher:  Orion May2025

Source:  Tywyn Library

First Sentence: The postman always rang twice on a Friday, to check that his ladies weren't dead.

 Review Quote:  'A sublime mix of comedy, drama and adventure' Jill Mansell

My Opinion:  

C.J.Wray also writes as Chris Manby and has written over 40 books. This is the first I have read by her and the tag lines on the front cover 'Old Enough To Know Better' and 'Young Enough Not To Care' were enough to capture my interest when I picked it up tp browse at the library recently.

The protagonist Jennifer Sullivan, known as Jinx is an 89 nine year old who has led a very eventful life. There are things she wants and needs to do while she is still fit enough to do so. These plans take her on quite the adventure!

Take this story as it is intended, fiction and you will find it is a very readable comedy. Recommended to almost everyone if they are looking for a laugh.

Précis Courtesy of Amazon: 

There are three things Jennifer 'Jinx' Sullivan promised herself she would never do:

1. Eat fast food.
2. Go on a coach trip.
3. Die without exacting revenge on the people who ruined her life.

She's about to let herself down on the first two, but she can still keep her word on the third. On a coach trip to Florence.

89-year-old Jinx is going to face her painful wartime history, unearth long-buried skeletons (quite literally) and plan long overdue vengeance on the worst best friend a woman ever had. That's the best friend who trained her in etiquette, cocktail-mixing and silent killing.

It's going to be a tough journey - not least because she's sharing it with twenty senior citizens and a recalcitrant teen. But Jinx knows that some promises are worth keeping, no matter how hard it may be...

Author Profile

                                               

                                                            Courtesy of Amazon

                                                                                          

CJ Wray is the pseudonym of Christine Manby, a Sunday Times bestselling author with more than forty books to her name. Raised in the west of England, she studied psychology before embarking on an entertaining and wide-ranging career that has seen her selling kitchens, editing erotica, interviewing an armed robber, and impersonating a princess.

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Pastures New by Clare Balding

                                               

Ebook:  385 pages

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins, 11 Sep 2025

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence:  Alex quickened the pace because a tube train was due in two minutes, according to her app.

Review Quote:  ‘A moving story of a young woman finding herself with the help of a Welsh farm’ Katie Fforde

My Opinion:  

Clare Balding is better known to me as a TV presenter, it was this fact that drew me to read 'Pastures New' which is her first adult fiction novel.

The storyline is about the consequences of a young woman, Alex, receiving an inheritance quite unexpectedly from someone she has never even heard of before now. She has inherited a sheep farm in Wales, that is running at a loss and is in a bad state of repair. To make it worse there is a clause in the will that states she cannot sell the farm within the first five years. How does she cope?

Disappointingly I did not find the story particularly inspiring, however it is a warm hearted one. A perfect novel to curl up with on a wet and miserable Autumn day.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Alex has perfected the art of dodging responsibility during her almost 40 years – until an unexpected letter turns her life upside down.

She’s inherited a crumbling sheep farm in wildest, wettest Wales. This was not her life plan. Not at all.

Now, her closest companion is a stubborn Welsh terrier, she’s speed-reading The Idiot’s Guide to Farming, and her arrival has set the village gossip mill spinning. With the farm near collapse, Alex sets out to uncover the truth behind her mysterious inheritance.

But as secrets surface, Alex finds her heart pulling her in a direction she never saw coming.

Will she pack her bags – or has she landed exactly where she’s meant to be?

Author Profile

                                                     

                                                                                         

                                                            Courtesy of Amazon

Biography in her own words from Amazon Profile:

Hello! Clare Balding here. Thank you so much for visiting my Amazon author page. You may know me from my broadcasting, including the Olympics and Wimbledon, but I’m also a writer – I grew up reading everything I could lay my hands on, in between riding horses and playing with dogs, and went into journalism after university. My autobiography, My Animals and Other Family, won Autobiography of the Year, and since then I’ve written non-fiction and a series for children. Encouraged by Jilly Cooper, whom I interviewed, I eventually plucked up the courage to turn my hand to fiction, with my debut novel, Pastures New. Do let me know what you think.

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