'Dunaway's Crossing', Nancy Brandon

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Book summary: Bea Dot Ferguson has a life many in Savannah envy: a wealthy husband, a luxurious house, a baby on the way. But appearances are deceiving. To hide a terrible secret, Bea Dot married a man she didn’t love—only to suffer his brutality later on. When her cousin Netta invites her for a visit in rural Pineview, Georgia, Bea Dot jumps at the chance to escape. But she soon learns she’s traded one perilous situation for another—Pineview has been infected with deadly Spanish influenza. As the epidemic escalates, Bea Dot and Netta must fight for survival. With the help of Will Dunaway, a recently returned Great War veteran, Bea Dot draws upon strength she never knew she had. As she and Will desperately try to avoid contagion, their mutual attraction grows, making them both the target of her husband’s wrath.

A sweeping Southern tale of hope and betrayal, love and loss, Dunaway’s Crossing is a moving testament to the strength of the human spirit.

I couldn't put this book down, seriously! It's anything I expected it to be. It's much deeper and darker but still beautiful and full of hope. Bea Dot bears a dark secret of her past and has to deal with the only man that knows it - her abusive and violent husband Ben. She has a strong spirit that her spouse didn't break yet. Her character got a chance to develop while staying in Pineview.

Nancy Brandon has a natural gift of writing about feelings and relationships between people - I totally adored the short moments when Ralph and Netta were sharing their joy of having their baby on the way after so many failed attempts. She perfectly portrayed the quarrels between Netta and Bea Dot and their touching reunion. All good characters in the book were beautifully built and saying goodbye to them was very hard.

Apart from engaging story and unexpected plot twists the strong point of this book is it's historical background and the way it had been illustrated: the tough time of spanish flu pandemic, fear and pain of loss. Also the time when women had no rights and were supposed to be obedient wives and mothers, when divorce was considered a huge scandal.

I love historical fiction and romance plots that are not too invasive. The Dunaway's Crossing hads everything that a good historical novel should have: well written story, solid background, realistic and lovable characters and a deeper message.

'You Think You Know Me' by Clare Chase

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Choc Lit

Book summary: Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell the good guys from the bad …

Freelance journalist, Anna Morris, is struggling to make a name for herself, so she’s delighted to attend a launch event for a hip, young artist at her friend Seb’s gallery.

But an exclusive interview isn’t all Anna comes away with. After an encounter with the enigmatic Darrick Farron, she is flung into the shady underground of the art scene – a world of underhand dealings, missing paintings and mysterious deaths …

Seb is intent on convincing Anna that Darrick is up to no good but, try as she might, she can’t seem to keep away from him. And as she becomes further embroiled, Anna begins to wonder – is Seb’s behaviour the well-intentioned concern of an old friend, or does he have something to hide?

Finally I've found a book that combines mystery, dark secrets and a light read. I was glued to it from the first chapter and had a lot of questions in my mind. Anna meets a stranger who gives her a false identity. Despite being warned by people that something's not right, she stays in touch with him and tries to unravel secrets that turn up all along the way.

I had my suspicions about who the bad guy is and what happened after reading about 50% of the book. In the end it turned out I was right, but the last few chapters were very dramatic and dynamic - I didn't expect that and was pleasantly surprised. On the other hand this dynamics wasn't really balanced with few parts of the book which were slow-paced and detailed.

The story line is good and solid and characters are diverse and well built. I enjoyed how author was giving out pieces of information about Sebastian's life and drama he went through when he lost his girlfriend Julia. I also grew fond of Anna's housemates - scenes with them were bringing some refreshment and fun. 

This was my first book written by Clare Chase but I very like her style of writing - it's solid and neat. I would happily give this author another go! And on a side note, as an UK-Lover I was happy that the book was set in London.

I'd recommend this book to everyone that seeks a good, solid but light read with a lot of mystery and questions to answer.

'Skating at Somerset House' by Nikki Moore

Book #1 in #LoveLondon Series
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Harper Impulse

Book Summary: The first short story in the fun & flirty #LoveLondon series from exciting new chick lit author Nikki Moore!

There’s nothing Holly Winterlake loves more than Christmas and skating, so working as an Ice Marshall at London's Somerset House is a dream come true.

Noel Summerford hates the festive season and is a disaster on the ice, so taking his godson to Somerset House is his idea of the nightmare before Christmas!

Things are bound to get interesting when these two collide…

With a forty foot Christmas tree, an assortment of well meaning friends and relatives, and a mad chocolate Labrador, will this festive season be one to remember … or forget?

I'm still in the festive mood so wintery-Christmassy reads are still on my to-read list. This is the first book in #LoveLondon series by Nikki Moore - second 'New Year at the Ritz' is already released, and the third 'Valentine's at Primrose Hill' will be out at my birthday (15/01/2015). 

'Skating at Somerset House' is a short story, easy to read at one go. Characters are nicely built and even that we know that Christmas-lover Holly will get together with Christmas-hater Noel at the end, it's an enjoyable and heart-warming book. The story is too short to dig deep into both Noel's and Holly's past but I feel like what we've learnt about them is sufficient. In short writings like this fast pace is a good thing - I really liked that there were no unnecessary descriptions slowing down the events.

I love that the whole series has a theme which is London. It will be a nice experience to get to know some significant places in this city by reading Nikki Moore's books. I liked her writing style and I definitely will continue reading #LoveLondon as those light, short, delightful reads will for sure give me some refreshment between heavier books.

*Provided to me by Harper Impulse via NetGalley*

'Snow Angels, Secrets & Christmas Cake' by Sue Watson

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Bookouture

Summary: For Tamsin Angel, Christmas is always the biggest and best… chic parties and a little showbiz sparkle are a must. This year though, things aren’t going quite as planned… 

With bailiffs suddenly at the door and her husband nowhere to be found, it looks like Christmas just got downsized. Moving into her sister’s one-bedroom flat, she wonders whether things will ever be the same again. 

After losing her husband on Christmas Eve, Sam Angel has rebuilt her life around her son Jacob and her new business – The White Angel Bakery. She’s also found herself a very handsome, loving boyfriend, but is struggling to let go of the past. 

Thrown together with a sprinkle of Christmas magic, Sam and Tamsin might just learn a little more about each other – and themselves. But when disaster strikes at the bakery, will they be able to save the day in time for Christmas?

First of all: OH MY GOD! This was one of the best Christmas books I've read so far! It was not only festive, engaging and sweet - it had a lot more to offer than just relaxing time while reading it.

I adored the story of two completely different sisters who in their own ways rediscovered a true meaning of Christmas. The book is written in two narratives so we can see all events from both Tamsin's and Sam's points of view - the author succeeded in showing how diverse these women are. Both are very well built characters, charming and loveable, sometimes even amusing. 

But Sue Watson's book is not only about two sisters struggling to survive through this unusual Christmas time after one of them had lost everything she owned. It is also a story about dealing with an emotional and painful past, dark times of childhood. One may think Tamsin is a posh and shallow, unsatisfied housewife but her obsession with beautiful, sparkly and expensive things is just an escape from wounds that have never been healed but scratched even more. 'Snow Angels...' also portrays different kinds of love and fear that comes along with it. 

This book is a perfect seasonal women's fiction. There's an excellent balance between romance, touching moments and amusement. It's a read along which you can cry, smile, laugh and feel this special kind of Christmassy warmth in your heart. I personally fell in love with Sue Watson's writing style and can't wait to read more of her books!