Maddy's Book Blog

  Holding by Graham Norton I was given an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting too much of this book, but mainly bought it because of the author. I was really pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it.   The characters were well thought out and believable. The 'hero' wasn't the most handsome stereotypical hero. There was a good blend of humour and pathos, and it held my interest to the end. I'm looking forward to his next book - a sequel would be nice! Read September 2016 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1755616752

  Bella’s Countryside Christmas by Claire Huston I was attracted by the blurb for this book – Christmas and romance – what’s not to like. Unfortunately, I enjoyed it so much I continued reading ‘just one more chapter’ until 3am when I finished the book!   When Bella escapes from a very boring conference, she goes to have a look at the church she would have got married in – if her engagement hadn’t come to an abrupt end! Inside the church she meets Jack, has a dangerous encounter with a tree, and finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend – well she couldn’t leave him the subject of pity – and he was very cute! After a brief kiss at the end of the evening Bella has to run off to help out her sister (the only character in the book I didn’t like) and they lose touch. A year later Bella returns to the village and a new job. Imagine her surprise when Jack is also working there, but isn’t happy about her disappearing act. Can Bella get him back o side? And maybe more?? ...

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton   There were parts of this book which I really loved. Unfortunately, there were also parts I didn’t.   During lockdown, Chloe was working from home in the countryside and found a leveret seemingly abandoned by her mother. Having left it, hoping for her mother to return, she realised that if she left it then it wouldn’t make it. She took it home, and took advice of feeding it and looking after it, until it was able to roam free. This wasn’t the end of the relationship as the hare spend many days and nights in Chloe’s house including giving birth to several sets of her own leverets.   I really enjoyed reading about the author’s interactions with the hare (she doesn’t give it a name as it is a wild animal), however, it did get bogged down in facts and information about hares generally and other animals, and those parts ruined the book for me.   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6779354580

  The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley All I can say is WOW! I have just finished this book and my heart rate is so fast I feel like I’ve been for a run! Lucina Riley is a master storyteller, and this book is an epic lost masterpiece. After Lucinda’s passing, Lucinda’s son Harry Whittaker has taken this story, originally entitled ‘Hidden Beauty’ and has reworked it, doing her proud. The story is told in timeless between WW2 and more modern times. It is the story of David and Rose who escaped from the camps in Treblinka. David became a property magnate and Rose a famous artist, but they had fallen out and weren’t in touch. David’s son Brett is sent to stay with Rose in the school holidays – their first contact in many years, and whilst there he falls in love with the beautiful Leah – the housekeeper’s daughter. Unfortunately, this doesn’t go down well with Rose’s children Miranda and Miles. This is an incredible story, carefully woven together to reveal just enough through the nov...

  Home Again For Christmas by Emily Stone   Having read a previous book by Emily Stone I knew I would enjoy it, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s not really a Christmassy book, but it is a lovely holiday read which is good any time of the year. Lexie’s Dad had a habit of letting her down. He walked out when she was a child, and started a new family with a new daughter, and from then on he was never there for her and when he finally let her down on her 21 st birthday that was the last straw and she cut him out of her life. When she heard that he had died she didn’t know what to feel, and then when she found out that he had left her half his business, she was even more confused. Her first thought was to sell up, pay her debts, and use it to travel. Unfortunately, he said that she couldn’t sell until she had run the business for a year – and if it turned a profit it could be sold (I’m pretty sure this isn’t legal in real life). The only problem is that the other half of the ...

  Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks I have read several Nicholas Sparks’ books previously and they never disappoint. He has the ability to write from a woman’s perspective as well as any woman, which is rare. When Tanner stops in Asheboro in the USA trying to find his father his beloved car is smashed into by a young girl – out without her mother’s permission. Tanner finds himself feeling sorry for the girl and ends up taking her home. When he meets her (single) mother, Kaitlyn, he is immediately smitten – but Tanner is only passing through – trying to find his father before going off to work abroad. Meanwhile Jasper is living on his own in Asheboro. Horribly disfigured from a fire that killed his wife and family his only friends are his Dr, Kaitlyn, and her family and a mysterious white deer he feels drawn to protect. This is a cleverly crafted story which I thoroughly enjoyed. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6728677884

  Frankie by Graham Norton Although I love watching Graham Norton on television, I wasn’t sure how he would be writing a novel. I needn’t have worried – the story was wonderful – drawing on his knowledge as an Irish man in London. The story is witty, and insightfully told. When the elderly but very independent Frankie has a fall, her best friend Nor arranges a career for her. Initially the horrified Frankie doesn’t want anything to do with Damien but soon ends up liking Damien, and sharing with him her story. This starts in Ireland, like his, but has a fascinating period in New York, where Frankie finds herself at the heart of bohemian New York life, ending with an escape back to London to live out her days. Frankie’s story is so interesting and very evocative of that time in New York and the AIDS crisis. The relationships between Frankie and Damien, and Frankie and Nor are well crafted. It kept me invested throughout. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6720806157

  The Best is Yet to Come by Jessica Redland   I love a Jessica Redland book – you know what you are getting - a well written book to gladden your heart and raise your spirits. This is an excellent summer read, which will leave you wanting more and make you feel like you have made new friends. Emma had a disastrous marriage, so when her fiancée Grayson moves in with her, and then they plan a new life together running on of Beatrix Potter’s farms Emma is over the moon. Unfortunately, ‘real life’ doesn’t always go to plan and Emma finds herself having to fulfil her dream of looking after Alpacas by herself. Luckily she has friends and family to support her and help fulfil her dream.   This book shows the old adage that sometimes something bad can end up as the best thing that could have happened. This is a gorgeous feel-good novel. The characters are well crafted, and I feel like I have made new friends who I would love to meet again. An excellent author who has a h...