The Star of Ceylon by Clare Flynn

                                                  

Ebook: 368 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Storm Publishing June 2025

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence: Norton Baxter stood at the stern of the 'Dambulla' watching the ship's wake plume like a feather below him.

Setting: Ceylon in 1906 (now known as Sri Lanka)

Review Quote: “A wonderfully evocative novel of old colonial Ceylon. Brilliantly written.” Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

A new to me author and a title that drew me in as I love to travel when I read.

Set in the early years of the 20C ' The Star of Ceylon' transported me vividly back to the time and place. The story opens on a ship travelling to Ceylon and it is where the two main protagonists, Stella and Norton first meet.  Stella Polegate, an intelligent young woman, who if allowed in those times would have been staying at university, instead she is fortunate to be travelling with her professor father and brother on an anthropology research trip. Norton Baxter is a young civil servant on his way to a first overseas posting in Ceylon.

I was very much drawn into the narrative, not for the love story aspect but more for the setting.  They were troubled times and the British were trying to fit in somewhere they were really not wanted. Recommended to readers that enjoy historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Ceylon, 1906: Stella Polegate steps off the ship in Colombo harbour, her heart beating with contradictory emotions. As her father’s unofficial research assistant, she’s thrilled to explore this island of ancient temples and verdant tea plantations—yet painfully aware that her brilliant mind will remain uncredited, her academic ambitions dismissed simply because she is a woman.

When her father’s doctoral student makes unwelcome advances that escalate to violence, Stella’s carefully ordered world shatters. With her reputation and future hanging in the balance, she finds an unexpected ally in Norton Baxter, a principled young civil servant whose growing disillusionment with colonial rule mirrors her own questioning of societal constraints.

As Stella navigates the suffocating expectations of colonial society, she must make an impossible choice. Should she accept the limitations imposed upon her gender or fight for the academic future she deserves? And can she trust Norton with her damaged heart when every man in her life has sought to control her destiny?

From the misty highlands of Kandy to the bustling port of Colombo, Stella’s journey becomes a defiant quest not only for love but for something far more elusive—the freedom to become the author of her own story.

Author Profile:

                                                 

                                          Photo and Bio Courtesy of Goodreads 

Clare Flynn is the author of eighteen historical novels and a collection of short stories. She is the 2020 winner of the UK Selfies Adult Fiction prize for her best-selling novel The Pearl of Penang, was shortlisted for the RNA Industry Awards Indie Champion of the Year for 2021 and won the award in 2022. 

Clare lives in Eastbourne. on the south coast of the UK. She is a fluent Italian speaker and loves spending time in Italy. In her spare time she likes to quilt, paint and travel often and widely as possible.

Clare Flynn is an active member of The Romantic Novelists Association, The Alliance of Independent Authors and The Society of Authors.

You can read her full and interesting biography on her website

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Clare Flynn - Author Website.   Goodreads Profile.   Amazon Profile.   Instagram Profile

Storm Publishing - Profile.    Facebook Profile

A Cornish Legacy by Fern Britton

                                                                              

                                                    

Ebook:  416 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Harper Collins June 2025

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence: Delia squinted through the windscreen, the sun ahead dazzling her. 

Setting: Cornwall

Review Quote: ‘The warmth and empathy that have made Fern Britton such a popular TV presenter are evident in her latest novel’ Woman’s Weekly

My Opinion: 

I know more of Fern Britton from her TV career and this is actually only the second book of hers that I have read. 

In 'A Cornish Legacy' the protagonist is Delia and during the course of the novel we learn about her early life, then her disastrous marriage, followed by her inheriting to her great shock Wilder Hoo, a country house in Cornwall that she has connections to.

A pleasant summer read with wonderful descriptions of Cornwall and I found the house and garden restoration details particularly enjoyable. If Cornwall, Gardening and Country Houses appeal then this is one for you. 

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

Escape to Cornwall this summer with the new emotional and uplifting novel from Sunday Times #1 bestselling author Fern Britton

Set by the wild Atlantic coast of Cornwall comes a story about finding home in the most unlikely places. When Cordelia Jago learns she’s been left the crumbling manor house Wilder Hoo, perched high on the Cornish coast, she wonders if it’s one last cruel joke from beyond the grave.

Having already lost her marriage, her best friend and her career, she’s at rock-bottom. Now she’s inherited a house she hates, full of unhappy memories.

But as she fights with its echoing rooms and whispering shadows, the house begins to exert a pull on her. The wild Cornish landscape, the stark beauty of seagrass and yellow gorse against the deep blue sea, begin to awaken a connection she thought she’d buried forever.

 Could she turn around this monstrous wreck of a house – and, along the way, let go of the secrets of the past and heal her heart too?

  

Author Profile                                                                                                    

About Fern Britton and photo from her website Fern Britton - Official Website

Born in London, into a theatrical family, Fern started her professional life as a stage manager. Theatre life was great fun but within three years she graduated to television and became a much-loved presenter obtaining her national treasure status presenting ITV’s This Morning for over a decade.

Having started her TV career in Current Affairs and News, Fern has covered everything from the Queen’s Birthday Celebrations to reporting live from Basra during the Gulf War. Her light entertainment credits include such iconic shows as Ready Steady Cook, All Star Mr and Mrs and Strictly Come Dancing. She presented nine series of Fern Meets where past guests have included Tony Blair, Desmond Tutu, and Dolly Parton.

More recent shows have included two series of The Big Allotment Challenge for BBC2, For What It’s Worth, an antiques-based quiz show for BBC1 and Culinary Genius for ITV. For Channel 5, Fern presented Watercolour Challenge, and two series of Ferns Conrwall. 

Fern has even turned her talents to acting when she starred as Marie in Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s award-winning musical Calendar Girls.

Fern has twin sons, two daughters and lives in Cornwall in a house full of good food, wine, family, friends, cats and gardening books. She has a motorbike license, a power boat license and makes good roast potatoes.

Previous Review: The Good Servant

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page. Goodreads Author Profile  Fern Britton - Official Website

Facebook Profile  Twitter Profile

Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson

                                                    

Ebook:   355 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction                                    

Publisher:   Apollo, 5th June 2025

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: The old wooden hive stood at the edge of the orchard within sight of the big house. It was unnaturally quiet today, as if the bees had already heard the news, but he had to carry out his duty.

Review Quote: A gloriously rich and layered portrayal of life in Cornwall today, beautifully laced with the glory of the natural world. I adored it.  Liz Fenwick-Author

My Opinion: 

This is the first time I have come across this author and it was the title and the blurb that attracted me.

The story revolves around Trengrose a country estate in Cornwall. Erza Curnow has lived there all his life, when new owners arrive his life becomes a battle to keep his home. There are multiple story lines to enjoy, particularly interesting the ones concerning the bees. Learning about sharing news with the bees is absolutely charming.

A fascinating read as beside the storyline the author's strong feelings for our environment and nature shine through in her writing.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher Apollo for the opportunity to read and review.

Goodreads Précis: 

Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now... 

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little paradise. 

Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza Rosevear, dies without leaving a will, and the cottage's ownership is put into question. Trengrose's charm soon attracts London financier Toby and his wife Minty, and Toby immediately sniffs an opportunity to rent out Ezra's cottage to tourists. But Ezra, a wily old chap, is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and he has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. 

As Toby resorts to more drastic measures, Ezra's case looks increasingly hopeless. But the recently deceased mistress of Trengrose took some secrets to her grave too, and she doesn't intend to rest quietly until they come to light...

                                                         

Author Profile:                

                                                                                                                                                                   

                                          Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Author's own words from Amazon Profile. 

Come find me on Twitter @JaneJohnsonBakr and on Facebook at Jane Johnson (Writer)

My website is www.janejohnsonbooks.com and there you can find an email contact form: do write - I love to hear from my readers and always reply!

I update and blog regularly about writing, publishing and cooking Moroccan food (my husband is a Moroccan chef).

I am from Cornwall and I've worked in the book industry for 30 years as a bookseller, publisher and writer.

In 2005 I was in Morocco researching the story of a family member abducted from a Cornish church in 1625 by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa (which formed the basis for THE TENTH GIFT), when a near-fatal climbing incident (which makes an appearance in THE SALT ROAD) made me rethink my future! (The whole story is told on my website.)

I went home, gave up my office job in London, sold my flat and shipped the contents to Morocco. In October of that year I married Abdellatif, my own 'Berber pirate', and now we split our time between Cornwall and a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains.

I still work, remotely, as Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins and am the editor for (among others) George RR Martin (GAME OF THRONES), Dean Koontz, Robin Hobb, Mark Lawrence, SK Tremayne (aka Sean Thomas) and Raymond Feist.

I was responsible for publishing the works of JRR Tolkien during the 1980s and 1990s and worked on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, spending many months in New Zealand with cast and crew. I have also written several books for children.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Profile  Facebook Profile.  Twitter Profile.  Author Official Website

A Lesson In Cruelty by Harriet Tyce

                                          

Hardback: 358 pages                                                                                       

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Wildfire, Headline 2024

Source: Tywyn Public Library

Review Quote: 'Tyce's denouement pulls things together skilfully and surprisingly.' Sunday Times

First Sentences: Just one more night. Then it's done. Anna has packed, a clear plastic bin bag that contains all her worldly goods - tracksuits, a few toiletries. A pile of letters tied with string, pushed into the middle of her clothes.

My Opinion:  I have read and enjoyed Harriet Tyce's previous novels, so was keen to read this one. As in her previous novels the suspense is such that I could not put it down, so it was a quick read. 

Three female protagonists, with three separate plots occurring. The novel is so well constructed that the reader is kept guessing as to how and when the stories connect and what then will be the outcome. The women are Anna who is just finishing a prison sentence, Lucy who is studying for a Law Degree at Oxford and finally Marie living in isolation in rural Scotland. The tension builds as the connections between the three women are revealed.

Recommended to anyone that appreciates a well written thriller.

Previous Reviews:  Blood Orange   The Lies You Told.  It Ends At Midnight

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

WHAT PRICE WOULD YOU PAY FOR THE PERFECT LIFE?

They say you can't always get what you want. But you can take it.

Anna wants a fresh start. She doesn't believe she deserves it, but after three years behind bars she has finally paid her dues. Most of them, anyway.

Lucy craves the attention of the only man she can't have, her alluring Oxford professor. He's married - not for the first time. Maybe she should be next in line?

Marie the recluse has been locked up for too long. She's not ready to be free, but some rules are meant to be broken.

Everyone wants a perfect life. But not everyone is prepared to take it.

Unless someone decides to teach them a lesson.

Author Profile:

                                                   

Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated from Oxford in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before gaining legal qualifications. She worked as a criminal barrister for ten years, leaving after having children. She completed an MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at UEA where she wrote Blood Orange, the Sunday Times bestselling novel. It was followed by The Lies You Told, another Sunday Times bestseller. It Ends At Midnight has just been published to critical acclaim. She lives in north London with her family and two dogs.



Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page     Goodreads - Author Profile  Harriet Tyce - Author Offical Website

Twitter Account - Harriet Tyce.  Instagram - Harriet Tyce

One Summer In Italy by Victoria Springfield

     

Ebook:   320 pages      

Genre:   Contemporary Romantic Fiction                                    

Publisher: Boldwood Books May 14th 2025

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: Natalie studied the photograph: the prow of a gondola just passing under the Rialto Bridge, golden light bathing the Grand Canal.

Review Quote: 'She has a way of bringing Italy to life that makes your mouth water when you think of the food, your body ache for some sunshine.' Susan Buchanan

My Opinion: 

I had not come across this author before, but when I discovered that she writes contemporary feel good fiction set in Italy, as an Italophile I just had to read 'One Summer in Italy'

Natalie and Cate are the main protagonists of the story. Natalie is sent to Venice for a work project, a city she has unhappy memories of, from a school trip many years ago. Imagine her shock when she finds an ex school friend from the same trip is also in Venice for the same project. forced to confront the past, the story unfolds as Natalie and Cate endeavour to put things right between them.

An escapist read which felt rather predictable. However this is made up for by being set in Venice and the author has shown her love of the city in the details. Recommended to Italophiles.

Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Springfield and Boldwood Books  for the opportunity to read and review.

Goodreads Précis: 

A BRAND NEW beautiful, romantic, getaway read from bestseller Victoria Springfield that you simply won't be able to stop thinking about... A stunning story of secrets and second chances.

A return to Venice. A friendship rekindled. A time for romance.

Natalie’s landed the opportunity of a lifetime hosting television show 'Luxe Life Swap', but she’s dreading going back to Venice, scene of the school trip that changed her life. The beauty of the floating city and handsome watch restorer Eraldo begin to win her over, however. But then glamorous contestant Cate arrives, the girl who was once plain, ordinary Cathy – the ex-best friend Natalie blames for the night that wrecked her life.

Cate’s swapping The Old Vicarage for two weeks in a Venetian palazzo, hoping she might pluck up the courage to go on the quest she’s been putting off for more than twenty years. Forced to spend time with Natalie, Cate hopes to rebuild their friendship – until Natalie makes a shocking accusation against Cate’s husband. Cate needs to find out the truth but how can she expect Phil to be honest when she’s keeping secrets of her own?

Author Profile:                

                                                          

                                                    Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Victoria Springfield writes contemporary women’s fiction immersed in the sights, sounds and flavours of Italy. Her feel-good stories follow unforgettable characters of all ages as they find adventure, friendship and romance.

Victoria grew up in Upminster, Essex. After many years in London, she now lives in Kent with her husband in a house by the river. She likes to write in the garden with a neighbour’s cat by her feet or whilst drinking cappuccino in her favourite café. Then she types up her scribblings in silence whilst her mind drifts away to Italy. Open a Victoria Springfield book and feel the sunshine!

Victoria is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Twitter Profile.     Facebook Profile.   Instagram Profile