Review: Kin

Kin by Lesley Crewe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Traditions, created and subverted. Love, nurtured and destroyed. Friendships, marriages, and the wild beauty of Cape Breton Island. And above all, kin, in all its convoluted forms.

In Lesley Crewe’s sixth novel, we trace the tangled lines of loyalty, tragedy, joy, and love through three generations of families. Beginning in Glace Bay in the 1930s and ending in Round Island in 2011, Crewe weaves her most complex and engaging novel yet. The cast of characters is vast and varied–some with the island’s deliciously cutting wit, some dour and uptight, some frail, some resilient, and all inextricably bound together by their shared histories.

Brimming with humour, poignancy, and the maddening joy that is family, Kin is bound to be every Crewe fan’s favourite book.

I loved this book, excellent read.

Review: The Wife's Choice

The Wife's Choice by Emma Davies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tell your most devastating secret, or risk losing your only daughter…

Then: Twenty years ago, Alys’ husband, Sam, was in a terrible car accident that left him fighting for his life. His recovery was slow and painful and, just at the point when Alys began to hope, he sent her away, refusing to see her ever again for reasons she could never understand.

Now: Married again and living in a new town with a new family, Alys feels like she’s sleepwalking through life. She’s just lost her job, her grown-up daughter is flying the nest, and her new husband doesn’t see – or even seem to care about – the downward spiral she is in.

But a chance encounter changes everything. As the life she could have had crashes into the one she settled for, Alys must decide whether or not to reveal the lie she’s been telling everyone all these years. Will it tear apart the ones she loves, or could it set them free?

An emotional, page-turning family drama about the difficult choices and sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. Perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse, Kerry Fisher and Jodi Picoult.

Review: The Runaway Daughter

The Runaway Daughter by Libby Ashworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A family torn apart. A daughter determined to stay together. When the parish guardians send Lydia, daughter of convict James Knowles, to be an apprentice in the cotton mill at Caton, she is distraught at being parted from her younger siblings and mother, Betty, but she has no choice.

At the mill, Lydia is bullied by some of the other girls and things do not go well when she stands up to the ringleader. Fearing she has killed someone and with the word murderess ringing in her ears, Lydia runs for her life.

Meanwhile, Betty and her children have been granted passage to Australia to join her husband, but Lydia cannot be found so Betty is forced to leave without her.

When Lydia arrives home to find her family has gone she is determined to follow them, all the while avoiding the law who seek to return her to the mill.

I just loved this three book saga.

Review: A Mother's Fight

A Mother's Fight by Libby Ashworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After her husband Jack is transported to Australia as a convict, Hannah and her children are sent to the workhouse. Hearing nothing from Jack and believing he’s dead, Hannah reluctantly agrees to marry widower Ellis Duxbury. But her children must remain in the workhouse, and when they are sent away as apprentices, it’s up to Hannah to track them down. On Christmas Eve, Hannah is blessed with a miracle when Jack returns to the village. Yet more trouble lies ahead as Hannah is arrested, accused of bigamy and threatened with deportation herself. Having fought so long for her and her children’s freedom, Hannah must once more dig deep to keep her family together. A gripping and inspiring saga.

Review: The Convict's Wife

The Convict's Wife by Libby Ashworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Molly Holden's husband, Thomas, is convicted of being a Luddite on the word of a secret informer, he is sentenced to be transported to Australia. Left with their baby daughter, Molly must find work to survive. But the man who informed on Thomas is a former suitor of Molly's, and Isaac believes that with Thomas out of the way she will return to him... Yet Molly is determined to join her husband and decides to raise the sum to pay for passage, first turning to the coal pits and then teaching herself how to weave quilts, all the while trying to stay one step ahead of Isaac's nefarious interferences. A gripping and inspiring Lancashire saga of one woman's journey of love, family and survival.

Very enjoyable read, especially finding out at the end that it is based on real people. The

authentic letters are being kept from that time period in Preston Lancashire archives.

Review: What the Dead Want

What the Dead Want by M.J. Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

They are waiting for death. He is waiting to kill them. In May 2020, fourteen-year-old Andrew Golding went out for a walk following a row with his mum. He was never seen again.

Four years later, when the press discovers police errors in Andrew Golding's case, DI Ridpath is called in to investigate.

As Ridpath delves into the case, he slowly discovers something much bigger and far more brutal than he ever expected – a murderer from the past who threatens his career and the lives of those close to him. Can he unravel the secrets before the killer strikes again?

Review: Between You and Me

Between You and Me by Lisa Hall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

They say every marriage has its secrets.
But no one sees what happens behind closed doors.
And sometimes those doors should never be opened …

Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren’t happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does – no matter how much it hurts.

Contains a surprise ending.