'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.

'Christmas at Thornton Hall' by Lynn Marie Hulsman

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Harper Impulse

Book Summary: When Juliet Hill unwittingly discovers a most-definitely-not-hers-rhinestone-studded lace thong in her high-flying lawyer boyfriend’s apartment, this usually feisty chef is suddenly single and facing a very blue Christmas – with only a ready meal for one to keep her company!

So when she’s personally requested to cater for the family at Thornton Hall three days before Christmas, it’s not long before Juliet’s standing at the (back) door of the Earl of Gloucester’s impossibly grand ancestral pile.

The halls are decked, the guests are titled, those below the stairs are delightfully catty, and all-American Juliet sets to work cooking up a glorious British Christmas with all the trimmings.

But other flames are burning besides those on the stove… Sparks fly with Edward, the gorgeous ex-soldier turned resident chef, and are those sidelong looks Juliet’s getting from her boss, the American tycoon Jasper Roth?

As the snow starts to fall on the idyllic Cotswolds countryside, so does the veneer of genteel high society and there are more than a few ancient skeletons rattling out of the Hall’s numerous dark cupboards!

CHRISTMAS AT THORNTON HALL is a country house romance for the modern age, a must-read for fans of the scandals and drama of Downton Abbey and the charm and wit of Helen Fielding.

This was my first Christmas book this season and I was counting on relaxing, easy read - I've definitely got it. I liked the main character of Juliet - a promising chef with a messed up past, hurt by a guy, trying to sort out her life working at Thornton Hall but instead getting even more confused and lost in her feelings.

This book gets crowded with a lot of versatile characters so fast it can be a bit puzzling. At first I had problems with remembering names and who is related to whom and I had to go back to some parts, but on the other hand that fun party of employees and lords makes an unique and enjoyable atmosphere. Some of heros and heroines are very likeable and lovely (Seamus, Rose and Isaac totally melted my heart), some are amusing, some are annoying and highly frustrating (whenever Lady Penelope was mentioned I was rolling my eyes with disbelief). For me it's important to have likes and dislikes in the book, the worst is to feel ambivalence towards characters and here I definitely have a strong impression of all of them.

There is a lot of going on in Thornton - not only dramas and love scandals but also unexpected plot twists and mysteries to discover (some of which are easy to figure out but some left me speechless). That all being set in an old mansion surrounded by snow and filled with delicious food aromas makes it a perfect chic lit Christmas read. Having known that this is the author's debut I'll happily give her other titles a go. The story of Juliet was promising enough.

I'd recommend this book for everyone who seeks for a good Christmassy chic lit, full of love triangles, startling plot twists, old mysteries and a lovely crew of characters. Don't try to read it while being on a diet because description of amazing dishes and smells from the kitchen will definitely make you hungry.

*Provided to me by Harper Impulse via NetGalley*

'Thoughtless' by S.C. Stephens

BEFORE READING MY REVIEW: I've read Thoughtless in my native language - Polish. I am willing to think that our translation a bit flattened the original story and especially general atmosphere of the book.

Book Summary: "For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same."

Thoughtless? Yes. Keira was thoughtless. And a bit annoying. Her indecision and choices she "tried to make" made her a character I didn't really like. I was eagerly waiting for her romance to be discovered by Denny. At some point, while I thought she's ready to take responsibility for her actions, the plot with "let's be friends" between Kellan and her totally destroyed me.

Despite the fact that the story is really long I feel like the author was rushing and just touching some things, showing problems with which characters dealt in a flat and superficial way. If the book was 200 pages shorter and had deeper insight into Keira's, Kellan's and Denny's emotions and situation, I would even consider giving it 5 stars.

However, Thoughtless is a light and engaging read, even if the constant drinking-morning-coffee scene was annoying. I will definitely read the second part of the series, hopefully something unexpected will happen there.