A country in the shadow of war. A love that burns through the decades…

Mia Ferris’s heart has always belonged in Spain. Every childhood summer was spent at her grandfather’s hacienda, riding together amongst the olive trees or listening to his stories of the past. So when she learns that he has fallen from his horse, she knows that she belongs by his bedside – even if it means leaving behind her life in London, and her new fiancé.

But as Leonardo fights for his life, and Mia to save the family home from financial ruin, secrets begin to emerge that tell a different story of the past – a terrible history that begins with a boy running for his life over the Andalusian hills, and ends with a forbidden love that only war can destroy…

As Mia untangles the passions and betrayals of the past, everything she thought she knew is turned upside down. Can she heal the wounds of the past, and face the truth of her own heart?

A sweeping novel of passionate love, betrayal and redemption, set against the turmoil and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War.

Shadows Over the Spanish Sun

by Caroline Montague

My review

Shadows Over the Spanish Sun is a truly captivating read.

It begins in April 2000, in Andalucia, where a tragic accident leaves an elderly Leonardo in a critical condition.

I was hooked!

Back in London, Leonardo’s Granddaughter, Mia, prepares to fly out to Spain, with the rest of her family, to be with him.

Mia is a likeable character who obviously has a very close relationship with her grandfather. She has made a life for herself in London and is preparing to marry her fiancé, but all must be put on hold until her grandfather has recovered. Little does she know just how much his accident is going to change her life forever.

I have so loved following Mia’s story, and Leonardo’s as he reveals to his granddaughter the secrets of his past. A difficult and heart-wrenching past which is painful for him to revisit, but which impacts Mia more than she could know. They have such a special relationship which is only strengthened by the truth.

This is such a heart-warming story with more than a fair share of sadness. I never realised just how brutal the Spanish Civil War had been. I can’t even imagine what these people must have gone through during this time, and since.

This novel is ultimately about true love, friendships, and family. I found it to be utterly compelling. I can’t recommend it highly enough and I look forward to reading Caroline Montague’s other books.

**Many thanks to Caroline for my signed paperback copy of Shadows Over the Spanish Sun**

Treat yourself

I.C.Y.M.I

Happy reading! 🙂

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature!

On the first Friday of each month I like have a look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years, since starting my blog.

Please do join in if you have the time. I’d love to see your posts!

Thanks to all who join in regularly 🙂

Here are my reviews from April 2022 + a link to previous April FBFs….

Have you read any of the above?

The perfect life. The perfect home. But at what price?

Introspective Ruth Parker is desperate for love and attention. Overlooked as a child by her cold and critical mother, her pain manifests in loneliness and a crippling lack of self-esteem. When glamorous actress ‘Aunt’ Vanessa, her mother’s childhood friend, shows an interest in her, Ruth basks in the blinding light of her attention.

Once Ruth escapes to university in London, Aunt Vanessa invites her to Wilton Place, her stunning Belgravia residence. As she blossoms under Vanessa’s guidance, Ruth finds herself torn between student life and the hypnotic, luxurious confines of Wilton Place. Belgravia wins out, but when Ruth explores the gloomy attic of her new home and finds a hidden, locked door, she discovers that Vanessa is hiding the darkest of secrets from her childhood, secrets that threaten everything Ruth knew about her own mother.

How far will Ruth go to find the truth – and how much does she really want to know?

The Attic at Wilton Place

by CE Rose 

My review

The Attic at Wilton Place is a brilliant read. One that kept me guessing and wondering about it when I wasn’t reading it. I couldn’t wait for bedtime to see what would happen next.

Ruth is an interesting character. I still can’t make my mind up if I liked her or not but as her story progressed, I certainly came to understand her better. Ruth has a lovely Dad, but she has an odd relationship with her mother. Her mother is a hard character, difficult to relate to, but I knew there must be some reason behind her behaviour towards her daughter. This kept me intrigued. It also made it easier to understand Ruth’s adoration of her Aunt Vanessa and why she puts up with her on/off attention. I did feel quite sorry for Ruth.

Again, I knew Vanessa must have her reasons for her flaky behaviour, but she does come across as though she only wants to spend time with Ruth when it suits her. This made me feel sorry for Ruth even more. The poor girl doesn’t seem to know where she belongs. Her visits to the big posh house sound idyllic, but she still seems extremely lonely. She never seems to have her aunt’s undivided attention for very long.

I wish I could talk more about this book without giving anything away.

Quite a sad story really and one with an underlying tension throughout. It made me feel a bit on edge as I read it. As truths are revealed I came to understand why.

If you love a book with fascinating characters and complicated relationships full of dark secrets, you will love this book. It certainly kept me glued to my kindle.

**Many thanks to Caroline England for my review copy**

OUT NOW!

Follow, like, and share the book love with the awesome bloggers supporting this fabulous blog tour….

happy reading! 🙂

Raising funds for the British Deaf Association

Mission Accomplished!: and other short stories 

by Alison Lingwood 

OUT NOW!

This is the second collection of over thirty short stories, raising funds for the British Deaf Association. The book contains musings, nonsense, and trivia. The forerunner to this volume, The Hairdryer died Today published in 2022 is also in aid of the same charity.

Thanks in advance for supporting this very worthy cause!

**Bowen’s Book Publicity is promoting this book free of charge**

A summer fling or something more?

In this Billionaires for the Rose Sisters story, Jessie Rose is shocked by the chemistry she feels when she meets billionaire Joel in Mustique. She’s come looking for escape, and brooding Joel’s not looking for anything permanent, but they can’t deny their fling is dangerously close to being a temptation they might not be able to walk away from…

My review

Well, I wish someone would send me off to a luxury resort, all expenses paid, for a month. It sounds awesome!

It’s definitely what Jessie needs after the tough time she’s had lately.

Jessie is an instantly likeable character. I could understand her being so uncomfortable being waited on hand and foot. This holiday destination couldn’t be any more of a contrast to her day-to-day life. However, I don’t blame her for relaxing into it and deciding to enjoy it for what it is. Joel obviously helps, although she is convinced she might get him into trouble for keeping him from his work. I loved that she had no idea who he really was.

My heart went out to Joel. Some might think he has it all, but he’s had his fair share of heartbreak and I could understand his reluctance towards Jessie. In fact, I respected him more for it. He faces a real battle between his heart and his head. I loved the talk his mother has with him. That started the tears!

I was absolutely swept along with Jessie and Joel’s story. I loved these characters and was rooting for them both from the very beginning. The chemistry between them is undeniable. It’s heart-wrenching at times and it did make me cry. It also made me smile, a lot!

**Many thanks to Rachael Stewart for my review copy**

Treat yourself

Happy reading! 🙂

The place had a gruesome past that nobody wanted to talk about…

Camp Deathe is now a great place to spend the summer. Ritchie soon finds a group of outsiders like himself. Teenagers who ignore the organised activities, and bunk off in the old abandoned cabins deep in the woods. The cabins that have a history.

The campfire monster stories were meant to just scare them. Nobody expected them to come true. Then one of the teenagers disappears in the middle of the night.

Something is watching them. It hides in the woods and hunts at night.

Ritchie will have to uncover the secrets of the camp, and understand his own problems in order to survive.

Camp Death is Book 1 in a new series brought to you by Question Mark Horror. For fans of Point Horror, Christopher Pike & Nicholas Pine.

Camp Death (Eerie Things Book 1)

by Jim Ody 

My review

Camp Death is a creepy little YA novel. An excellent start to the Eerie Things series!

Ritchie and his sister are treated to a few days away with their parents. Camp Deathe is no ordinary resort though. The teenagers get to stay in cabins with kids their own age whilst the parents enjoy a bit of couple’s time in the onsite hotel. Nothing is quite as it seems though.

There are organised activities for the teens but of course they mostly end up where they’re not meant to be, listening to stories about monsters. Stories which aren’t supposed to come true!

I thought this was the perfect setting for a horror novel.

I knew something bad was going to happen, but each time I thought I had it sussed I was proved wrong. The tension builds throughout the story and each chapter ends in a way that makes you have to read the next. It left me guessing right until the end.

A good read!

I recommend to all horror fans, young or old!

buy here

Happy reading! 🙂

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature!

On the first Friday of each month I like to have a look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years, since starting my blog.

Please do join in if you have the time. I’d love to see your posts! Thanks to all who join in regularly 🙂 x

Here are my reviews from March 2022 + a link to previous March FBFs….

Have you read any of the above?

Maria has a wonderful life. Together with her daughters, Lucy and Clara, she runs a successful estate agency, priding herself in matching the right properties to the right people – even if she has yet to find the ideal home for herself.

But behind the happy exterior, Maria is anxious about her fiftieth birthday coming up. She’s feeling, well, less excited and more than a little terrified about how life is running away from her.

For a birthday treat, Lucy and Clara have planned five ‘nostalgic’ dates for her and their dad, to remind them of when they first fell in love. But Maria barely has time for the here and now, never mind a cringeworthy wistful jump back to the past. All she wants is to find that perfect nest to settle down in, no matter how many moves it takes.

The Wilshaw women are a close-knit family, so when tragedy strikes at the heart of the home, Maria is shocked at how easy the potential to lose everything becomes.

Will Maria realise that perhaps it’s better to accept herself as she is rather than move house again? And in doing so, can she change her outlook on life for good?

Moving On

by Marcie Steele 

My review

Moving On is just the cutest read. I loved it!

I love feel-good stories about families, the ups and downs of life, and the complexity of human relationships.

This book is so full of love. The love between a husband and wife. The love between a mother and her daughters. The love between sisters….

There are some lovely characters throughout this story. Maria is very likeable and will likely be very relatable to many. I can understand her anxiety about turning 50. I’m less than 5 years away from that age myself. Life flies by far too quickly and it’s scary! Every birthday should be celebrated though. Some people don’t get many.

I loved the idea of nostalgic dates for her and her husband as a way of celebrating her birthday and spending precious quality time together. Some of these moments are quite amusing! I didn’t really understand Maria’s reluctance to participate. I did feel a bit sorry for her husband at times. I imagine it’s quite difficult to switch off though when you own busy businesses and have fallen into the habit of prioritising work over each other. We’re all guilty of taking each other for granted sometimes.

This story highlights the fragility of life and how quickly things can change.

Some things have a way of putting a new perspective on life, making us realise what we already have rather than always wanting the next best thing whether that be houses or otherwise.

Gorgeous book! I can’t recommend highly enough.

**Many thanks to Marcie/Mel for my review copy**

Treat Yourself

Happy reading! 🙂

The belief that we can control our existence by simply mitigating risk is the biggest illusion of them all.

The Safe Bet 

by Elliott Fassbinder

Fiona Alderton is fast approaching her fortieth birthday. Her life is chugging along a track she carefully laid twenty years ago. Successful husband, beautiful Highgate home, vast walk-in-wardrobe, and two delightful sons. But the sky is not all brilliant azure, there are clouds: a diminishing sex life, a teaching job she loathes, and an increasing dependence on alcohol. Still, her decision, twenty years earlier, to cut adrift a life of libertine excess to hitch herself to sensitive, geeky David Alderton, her Safe Bet, looks like the right one.

Until, two days before her birthday, Fiona and David are rushing around preparing for the school run, and their mobiles get muddled. Fiona sees a text meant for her husband, and her Safe Bet suddenly resembles a ruinous roll of the dice. How will she react?

5 out of 5 stars “This is Elliott’s second book and it’s a real page turner! Enjoy, and I hope he has plans for another soon.” – Amazon reviewer

All she wanted was to go out and, I don’t know, climb a tree or something.

Q heads out into the woods near her house to escape her responsibilities, but the short walk to clear her head ends up being a lot longer than expected when she finds herself, suddenly, very far from home. With no way to return. She just crosses her fingers and sets off in any direction. I could’ve told her that’s not the best tactic, but she wouldn’t have listened (not that listening to me was an option anyway).

Will she be able to find her way home with the help of some strange new friends?
And will they be able to help her escape the thing that follows?
The thing that got her into this mess in the first place.

Barker’s debut novella, written, illustrated and self-published as part of her EPQ.

my review

Of Skinned Knees and Nettle Stings is a unique tale, with truly unique characters, which I found very entertaining. I loved Thibault! Q is an instantly likeable character too, and I enjoyed her story.

It’s extremely imaginative, funny, heart-warming, and clever.

The narrator amused me!

I think this book will be enjoyed by all, whatever the age of the reader.

An excellent debut by Miss Leona Barker. Brilliant idea for an EPQ by the way!

I look forward to reading what Leona writes next.

Available now

Happy reading! 🙂