Maddy's Book Blog

  The Lost Château by Dinah Jefferies This is the fifth Dinah Jefferies novel I’ve read, and each one feels like a classic — written with the kind of richness and emotional depth you’d expect from Daphne du Maurier or one of the Brontë sisters. Her stories have that rare, transporting quality that lets you fully immerse yourself and forget the world for a while. The Lost Château is another beautifully crafted example of historical fiction at its best, layered, atmospheric and wonderfully absorbing. It’s 1936, and Thirza leaves her beautiful home in Greece to stay with her great‑aunt Berenice in the Dordogne, who has been taken seriously ill. She brings her young daughter Romi and her teenage step‑daughter Valentina, but not her husband Emilio, who has gone to Spain to retrieve Valentina’s sister Lucia — a journey Thirza fears may keep them both away for good. Berenice herself is a difficult woman, full of secrets, and the château seems to harbour mysteries of its own: strange ...

  Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood This is a great fun summer romp, told with tongue firmly in cheek and a lovely sense of mischief. It’s the kind of book that makes you smile, never takes itself too seriously, yet is written with enough skill to carry the unbelievable right to the edge of believable. I’ve read and enjoyed one of Kirsty Greenwood’s previous novels, and this has definitely made me keen to explore more. Imagine being a successful romance writer on your way to finish the final book in a hugely popular series — only for the love of your life, who also happens to be a fellow author, to announce he wants to take a break. Poor Gertie, utterly devastated, is hit with acute writer’s block and can’t produce a single word. With her deadline looming, her agent nagging, and her neighbour enthusiastically helping her ‘manifest’ her goals, she wakes up to find a half‑naked, extremely confused cowboy in her living room — and not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain ...

  A Wedding Under the Cornish Sky by Phillipa Ashley Phillipa Ashley is a number‑one bestselling author of more than thirty romance novels, and having enjoyed several of her previous books, I was really looking forward to this one. A Wedding Under the Cornish Sky has that familiar blend of charm, warmth and gentle escapism she does so well, and it was a pleasure to dive back into her storytelling. When Zennor was enjoying her dream Cornish wedding to Trev, she was stunned when a very drunk Matt — her first love — appeared to sing at the reception and blurted out that he’d seen Trev kissing one of the waitresses. Five years later, with the marriage long over, Zennor is living alone in St Ives and building a business with her best friend. The last thing she expects is for Matt to return to the area and turn out to be her new landlord — and she’s convinced she hates him for ruining her wedding… doesn’t she? What really lifts the story is the gorgeous Cornish setting, with its s...

The French Market Murder by Greg Mosse   I really enjoyed The French Bookshop Murder , and I equally enjoyed The French Market Murder , set in the beautiful French town of Sainte‑Catherine — also known as the book village. It was lovely to return to Zoe Pascal, her little dog Russell, and the familiar faces who make the village feel so alive. Greg Mosse captures that charming, slightly eccentric atmosphere again, and it was a pleasure to slip back into their world. Zoe Pascal joins forces with Denis, who runs the local guest house, to create a book tour where she curates a bespoke reading list for each visitor. The group is full of interesting characters, each carrying secrets of their own. When a body is discovered in the house next door to the bookshop, suspicion quickly spreads — could the culprit be one of the book‑tour guests, or someone from the village itself? With tensions rising and rumours swirling, it once again falls to Zoe to untangle the truth and uncover the ki...

  The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh   I’ve really enjoyed Rosie Walsh’s previous books, so I was excited to read this one. Her writing is vivid and emotionally sharp, bringing the story fully to life. Told across two timelines, 2010 and 2022, it weaves together enough mystery and intrigue to keep you turning the pages, always wanting to understand how the past has shaped the present. When Carrie and Johan marry on a beach in Thailand in 2010, they’re madly in love and certain they’ve found their forever. But everything shatters when the police storm their wedding and arrest Johan on drug charges. He pleads guilty, refuses to see Carrie again, and their future ends in an instant. By 2022, Carrie is married to Robin, with two gorgeous children, and is ready to return to life as a surgeon. A placement in Sweden brings her back into the orbit of her old mentor — and to the shocking discovery that Johan is out of prison. Still needing answers, still carrying the we...

  The Secret Thread by Eve Chase   Having read and enjoyed The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase, I was excited to pick up The Secret Thread — and I enjoyed it just as much. Her writing has that wonderfully immersive, almost classic feel to it, the kind that pulls you straight into the story. This one unfolds across two timelines, 1969 and 2024, with the past gradually revealing how the present came to be, and I loved the way the threads between them slowly tightened. Mimi Mott is a very famous, yet fiercely private, style icon and exclusive decorator — wealthy, influential, and still grieving the recent loss of her husband. She finally decides her life story deserves to be told, choosing to reveal it through a charity auction where every item comes with its own tale. To help shape those stories she hires Jo O’Mara to write the copy, though Jo has her own reasons for needing the job. Mimi is also supported by Woody, a very handsome young man, and more than a few sparks seem to ...

  Common Decency by Tom Allen   I did enjoy this offering from Tom Allen, though not quite as much as I’d hoped. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it would have landed even better as an audiobook, read by Tom himself, because his voice and rhythm are so clearly woven through the story. On the surface it’s about a group of residents banding together to save an old oak tree, but there’s so much more happening beneath that premise — layers of personal struggle, community tension and the quiet ways people try to do the right thing. Oak Drive is a small road opposite a little park with a very old oak tree at its heart. The residents keep an eye on one another, so when the council announces plans to turn the park into an electric‑charging station — removing the ancient oak in the process — they rally together. But nothing on Oak Drive is quite what it seems. Donald, the self‑appointed ruler of the road and dictator of his long‑suffering wife Fanny, is hiding more than anyone rea...