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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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

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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

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