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:

Amazon Author Page.    Author's Official Website.   Instagram Profile  Twitter Profile

Facebook - SallyPageAuthor.   Goodreads Profile

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.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Profile

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.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Instagram Profile     Twitter Profile.  Facebook Profile.   Amazon Author Page

Daughter of Hong Kong by Siobhan Daiko

                                            

Hardback:  320 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romantic Fiction, WWII, Hong Kong,

Publisher:  December 2024 Boldwood Books

Source:  Tywyn Library

First Sentence:  A chill wind whipped around Will as he stood on the promenade deck of the P and O liner RMS Carthage.

Review Quote:  'A convincing and very moving romance, a fascinating slice of history. Coupled with the most wonderful story-telling, this book delivered everything I could have possibly wanted.'  Reader Review

My Opinion:  

This novel was recommended to me by a friend, due to my connections with Hong Kong.

'Daughter of Hong Kong' starts with the protagonists, William Burton and Constance Han meeting on an ocean liner bound for Hong Kong in the spring of 1939.  Their shipboard friendship makes them determined to continue to see each other in Hong Kong, despite knowing that any relationship between them would be fraught with difficulties.  As the inevitable outbreak of war draws closer, Will and constance both become involved in the defence of Hong Kong. Their lives become ever more intense as danger increases and their survival looks unlikely.

Although fictional it is based on historical events that happened during WWII when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong. I found the descriptions to be very evocative of Hong Kong, despite being set in an era well before any time I have spent there.  A moving story of determination that love will overcome, recommended to readers who enjoy romantic novels set in WWII.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Based on a true story, a tale of love and survival against all the odds set in Hong Kong at the start of the Pacific War. Can love conquer all?

Spring 1939 - dashing young William Burton and the beautiful Constance Han set sail from London on the same ocean liner to Hong Kong.

Connie is intrigued by Will’s talent for writing poetry, and as romance blossoms she offers to give him Cantonese lessons to help him with his new job — a cadet in the colonial service.

But once in Hong Kong, Connie is constrained by filial duty towards her Eurasian parents, and their wish for her to marry someone from her own background.

When war breaks out, Connie and Will find themselves drawn into a wider conflict than their battle against prejudice. Can they survive and achieve a future together? Or will forces beyond their control keep them forever apart?

A sweeping tale of love and perseverance, perfect for readers of Dinah Jefferies, Fiona Valpy and Ann Bennett

Previously published as The Flame Tree

Author Profile

                                                       

                                                            Courtesy of Amazon

Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a Siberian cat. Siobhan was born of English parents in Hong Kong, attended boarding school in Australia, and then moved to the UK — where she taught modern foreign languages in a Welsh high school. She now spends her time writing page-turners and living the dolce vita sweet life near Venice. Her novels are compelling, poignant, and deeply moving, with strong characters and evocative settings, but always with romance at their heart.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.  Author Official Website.   Goodreads Author Page

Twitter Profile

Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf

                                                    

Ebook: 311 pages

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Publisher:  Aria and Aries: Head of  Zeus 2 Sep 2025

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence:  The sand has turned everything orange. I blink but it doesn't shift. It's like the world has been coated with paint.

Review Quote:  'Totally gripping.' HARRIET TYCE

My Opinion:  

‘Sun Trap’ is a destination thriller set in Abu Dhabi. The female protagonist is Ellie an aspiring actress, who via rather unconventional methods lands herself a minor role in a film on location there. Things start to go seriously wrong for her when deaths, in fact murders start happening. All the cast members and crew find themselves implicated in one way or another as the tangled storyline unfolds.

I was disappointed with this novel both with the vacuous characters and the lack of atmosphere as each unrealistic situation arose. A story with great potential which will appeal to many but sadly not for me.

My thanks to Head of Zeus, the author and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review  'Sun Trap' in return for an honest review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

BE CAREFUL
Ellie has wanted to be an actor since she was a child so, when a role in a blockbuster film presents itself, she grabs it.

WHAT YOU
On the plane to Abu Dhabi to begin filming, Ellie overhears something she shouldn't – two people discussing plans for murder.

WISH FOR
Unsure if it's a misunderstanding, and not wanting to ruin her big break, Ellie remains quiet. Then ten members of the cast become nine...

Ellie needs to be careful – it's more than just her career on the line.

Because she isn't who she says she is.
And liars are always the prime suspect.

Author Profile

                                                     

                                             

                                                            Courtesy of Amazon

Rachel Wolf is the author of luxury destination thrillers FIVE NIGHTS and SUN TRAP. Before writing, she worked in the travel industry, and her novels take inspiration from some of her travels.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.   Twitter Profile.   Instagram Profile

The French Affair by Theresa Howes

                                                 

Ebook: 362 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII,

Publisher: HQ Digital 2023

Source:  Amazon Purchase

First Sentence:  If the war had taught Iris anything, it was that it was easier to lie during the blackout than in the cold light of day, and so it was with good reason that she always insisted on meeting Guy Mason after dark.

Review Quote:  An exceptional tale, expertly crafted with endearing characters and an enthralling plot that will captivate readers.' NetGalley Reviewer,

My Opinion:  

This second novel by Theresa Howes was published back in 2023 and has been on My Kindle for two years. Far too long, but at last I have read!

Set during WWII the female protagonist Iris, who is French, has been working in London for the British Intelligence Service. Her current mission takes an unexpected turn and to complete it successfully she has to return to France. She bases herself in Dijon, which is under German occupation, where she has family connections.  With an extremely tense atmosphere in a town where everyone is under suspicion she does not have an easy task ahead of her.

Once again I found the author's style of writing appealing with a captivating storyline. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A country at war. A dangerous secret. 

After a failed honey-trap mission for British Intelligence leads to the breakdown of her marriage, French journalist Iris escapes to Dijon, seeking refuge in the cottage of her beloved aunt, Eva. But Eva is gone, the streets are full of distrust, and Iris is soon followed by the very last man she wants to see – the British civil servant and traitor she was tasked with catching, now keen to rekindle their affair. 

Eva’s home used to be a comforting place, where the locals sought out Eva’s homemade tinctures and cures and gifted jars of fresh honey from the garden. Now it is a place of danger, where threats loom in every corner. And as Iris spends more time there, she discovers a secret that will change the way she sees her aunt forever – and the course of her own life too…

Previous Review:   The Secrets We Keep

Author Profile

                                                     

Theresa Howes grew up in Shropshire and has a background as an actor. Her historical fiction has been long-listed for the Mslexia Novel Award, The Bath Novel Award, The Caledonia Novel Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize.

She lives in London with her husband and Claude, a larger than average cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys seeing how many more plants she can cram into her tiny London garden, walking, and putting the world to rights over a gin and tonic.

Her debut novel, THE SECRETS WE KEEP was published in November 2022. Her second novel, THE FRENCH AFFAIR was published in December 2023. Her third novel, A MATTER OF PERSUASION, which is a Gilded Age retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, set in 1882 in New York and Rhode Island, was published in January 2025. 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Authors Official Website.  Amazon Author Profile   Goodreads Author Profile

Twitter Profile

The Peak by Sam Guthrie

                                           

Ebook:   398 pages 

Genre: Contemporary Thriller, Political Thriller, Espionage

Publisher: July 1, 2025 by HarperCollins

Source: My Kindle Library via NetGalley

First Sentences:  So now I'll tell you what happened, as best I can. No spin. No agenda. If I get something wrong, it's not because I am being evasive or trying to protect Sebastian. It's simply because I don't understand what happened today either.

Setting: Hong Kong 

Review Quote: ‘[An] impressive first novel … illuminating and extremely alarming’ Literary Review

My Opinion: 

A debut novel from an Australian writer, that I knew nothing at all about when I was offered the opportunity to read. Given the Hong Kong connection I decided to give it a go.

Focused around two male protagonists, Charlie and his best friend and boss Sebastian, 'The Peak' is a tense story of long term comradeship and deception. Told against a background of politics at a time when the world is changing forever, it feels feasible and is chilling reading.

The Hong Kong element of this political thriller was particularly interesting as I know many of the places the author realistically describes. The Australian politics I had absolutely no understanding of, but that did not spoil my enjoyment of this fast paced thriller.  Definitely recommended to fans of the genre looking for a new author.

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

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Sure to be THE debut thriller of 2025, The Peak is a nailbiting and unputdownable read, a powerfully taut, gripping and fast-moving international thriller that weaves a story of friendship, love and betrayal together with the ruthless geopolitics of China's rise, set in the last 24 hours of the world as we know it.

'Now I'll tell you what happened, as best I can. No spin. No agenda. If I get something wrong, it's not because I'm being evasive. It's simply because I'm still trying to understand what happened today ... It's to explain, as best I can, what Sebastian has done, and why tomorrow when you wake up, it will be the end of the world.'

Political hatchet man Charlie will do anything to protect Sebastian, government minister and his best friend since their brutal private school days. Rising to power and prominence through international diplomatic postings and then the rough and tumble of Australian politics, they are as close as brothers - or so Charlie thinks - while both keep the secret that lies at the very heart of their relationship - a secret that in one way or another will change the world.

But then a single phrase in Mandarin is spoken in Sebastian's ear and he does the unthinkable. As Charlie tries to piece it all together - from their youth spent in Hong Kong to the recent past in Beijing and Washington - things in the outside world start to fall apart too. Planes can't land, the phone lines go down and the power is out. Then the secret intelligence services comes knocking. Charlie wonders, what the hell did Sebastian do?

From the jostling streets of Hong Kong to Beijing's shadowy halls of power and the backstabbing Machiavellian workings of Parliament House in Canberra, The Peak is a powerful, propulsive and nailbitingly tense international thriller. Written with an extraordinary insider knowledge of China, the realities of global power and the inner dealings of the Australian Government, The Peak has the authenticity and moral complexity of a Le Carre novel and the narrative power of an Australian Robert Harris.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                        

                                                  Courtesy of  Amazon

Sam Guthrie writes international political thrillers based on his experience working at the nexus of business, politics, and international diplomacy. 

His character-driven fiction explores the human desires and frailties that shape world-altering events, drawing on an insider’s knowledge of the machinations of power, political intrigue, and the geostrategic challenges confronting the global order. 

Prior to publishing his first novel, The Peak, Sam had a twenty-five-year career in international relations serving as a trade envoy to China, an Asia Pacific corporate affairs adviser and political lobbyist and a senior government official.

He has worked extensively across Europe, the US and Asia, and has spent close to a decade living and working in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Prague. He has a master’s degree in international relations. 

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

Amazon Author Page    Sam Guthrie Official Website.   Goodreads Profile

Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern

                                                  

Ebook:  359 pages 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Irish Fiction, Romance,

Publisher: August 2025 by Harper Collins

Source: My Kindle Library via NetGalley

First Sentences: Life usually ticks along, consistent as a drip from a leaky tap, but today is different.

Setting: Ireland

Review Quote: An immersive, sometimes heartbreaking, yet ultimately uplifting rollercoaster read. Her best yet' Patricia Scanlan

My Opinion: 

Despite the fact that 'Paper Heart' is I think about the 20th novel published by Cecelia Ahern it is only the fifth I have read over a period of twenty years.

The protagonist Pip is thirty two years old and still living at home, with her parents and sixteen year old daughter. They are both controlled by Pip's parents, in particular her mother. Life at home is unimaginably stressful until Pip starts to question why she is living her life like this'

In conclusion I must honestly say that 'Paper Heart' disappointed me. Parts were enjoyable but I found the origami poems somewhat boring and the storyline generally was so depressing. Josephine, Pip's mother was an absolutely despicable character and it angered me that Pip took so many years to finally stand up to her. 

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

Previous Reviews:   Thanks For the Memories   One Hundred Names.  Into The Storm

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

From the bestselling author of PS I Love You comes a story of finding yourself – and finding your way home.Pip’s world is small. But it’s about to become a whole lot bigger.

For years she’s tucked away her dreams, shrinking herself into the space left behind – like the delicate origami she creates alone in her room.

Then hope comes from an unlikely an astronomer from the local observatory. He teaches her to look up at the stars, and to see a world far bigger and more beautiful than she ever imagined.

And perhaps in that big, beautiful universe there’s someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart.

Pip never stopped dreaming, but now it’s time for her to live – and maybe even to fall in love.

Author Profile:         

                                                     

                                                  Courtesy of Amazon

Cecelia Ahern was born in Dublin, where she also grew up on September 30th 1981. After completing a degree in Journalism and Media Communications, Cecelia wrote her first novel at 21 years old. Her debut novel, PS I Love You was published in January 2004, and was followed by Where Rainbows End (aka Love, Rosie) in November 2004. Both novels were adapted to films; PS I Love You starred Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, and Love, Rosie starred Lily Collins and Sam Claflin.

Cecelia has published a novel every year since then and to date has published 18 novels; PS I Love You, Where Rainbows End, If You Could See Me Now, A Place Called Here, Thanks for the Memories, The Gift, The Book of Tomorrow, The Time of My Life, One Hundred Names, How To Fall in Love, The Year I Met You, The Marble Collector, Flawed, Perfect, Lyrebird, ROAR, Postscript and Freckles.

To date, Cecelia’s books have sold 25 million copies internationally, are published in over 40 countries, in 30 languages.

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

Amazon Author Page.   Goodreads Author Profile.   Facebook - Cecelia Ahern

Cecelia Ahern - Author's Official Website   Twitter Profile

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

                                       

Hardback:  310 pages                                                                                                 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Publisher: Doubleday 2024
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: The moon woke me, bright and close. It shed such a strange light over the sea, a dark kind of daylight, like looking at the negative of a photograph.
Review Quote: ‘Vivid, extremely tense, unnervingly unputdownable. This is a superb, powerful read.’ Independent
Main Characters: Vanessa Chapman, James "Beck" Becker, Grace Haswell, Sebastian Lennox, Julian Chapman, Sir Douglas Lennox, Lady Emmeline Lennox, Helena Fitzgerald, Graham Bryant, Nicholas Riley, Isobel Chapman
Setting: Scotland, Eris, Scotland (United Kingdom)

My Opinion: 

Having read all of Paula Hawkins novels so far I can safely say that I have enjoyed this one the most.

In 'The Blue Hour' we have a mystery revolving around deceased artist Vanessa Chapman. The puzzle is slowly revealed to us by her close friend Grace Haswell with the help of James Becker.  James works for the Fairburn Foundation where he is in charge of all the artworks by Vanessa that were donated to them on her death. It is a tense and atmospheric story, the latter mainly due to the remote setting of Vanessa Chapmans home being located on the island of Eris in Scotland, which is completely cut off from the mainland for many hours a day and hers is the only house on the island. The tension is because of the secrets that all the characters have and that are only slowly revealed to the reader.

A chilling and dark novel that in my opinion is well worth reading.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Eris, an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa. A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .

Previous Reviews:  The Girl On the Train. Into the Water.  A Slow Fire Burning

Author Profile and Photo from Amazon

 

 Courtesy of Phoebe Grigor

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over fifty languages, it has been a Number 1 bestseller around the world and was a box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Paula's thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant Number 1 bestsellers.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

 Author Official Website    Paula Hawkins - Amazon Page

 Goodreads Author Profile.