Maddy's Book Blog

  Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft Sue Moorcroft is one of my favourite writers, and it’s always a real treat to have one of her books to dive into. A long, hot summer paired with one of her novels is perfection. Her stories may be rooted in romance, but they always offer so much more — rich emotion, real‑world depth, and settings so vividly drawn that you can almost feel the heat and see the scenery. The landscapes she describes are consistently stunning, and this book is no exception; it made me want to pack a bag and head straight to Italy. Jade grew up on the shores of Lake Como, raised by her paternal grandparents when her too‑young parents couldn’t care for her. She naturally fell into helping at their guesthouse and always assumed she would one day take it over. But after her grandmother passes away, Jade discovers her father had two more children she knew nothing about — a secret her grandmother had been sworn to keep. The aptly named Three Sisters Gue...

  One & Only by Maurene Goo I was really intrigued by the blurb for One & Only . Having read The One by John Marrs, where people are matched by DNA, the idea of being matched through past‑life visions instantly caught my attention. It’s a great concept, full of potential and originality, and the story itself has some genuinely clever moments — although the copy I had could definitely have benefited from a bit more editing. Cassia Park has always been destined to join her family’s matchmaking business, The One & Only. The women in her family share a secret gift — the ability to see people’s past lives and identify the person they’re fated to be with, the soul they’ve loved across lifetimes. For ten years Cassia has searched in vain for her own fated match, until a bike accident leads to her being rescued by Ellis, a charming 28‑year‑old who sparks something unexpected. Their fling feels effortless, but when Cassia later visits Ellis’ office, her true fated turns out...

  One of the Family by Mark Edwards   Mark Edwards is one of my favourite authors in this genre, and I’ve read every one of his books. One of the Family is right up there with the best of them — exciting, sharply written, full of well‑drawn characters, and packed with the kind of twisty, ever‑present mystery he does so well. Patrick, a driver and aspiring filmmaker, meets Holly — an uptown girl from an extraordinarily wealthy family — and soon finds himself invited to their remote Scottish mansion. There he meets her father Charles and his unnervingly youthful new girlfriend, her brother Lewis, her sister Miranda and Miranda’s husband Zach. When Charles’ girlfriend turns out to be a striking doppelganger of his late wife, things take a decidedly dark turn. Add in a couple of unsolved deaths that naturally pique Patrick’s curiosity, and you have a novel that’s impossible to put down, the kind that keeps you reading well into the night. Mark Edwards is the master of the psy...

  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...