Maddy's Book Blog

  A Skye Full of Stars by Sue Moorcroft   Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I devoured this book in a day and a half – and then was devastated when it was finished. I felt like I had been invited to a family & friends’ reunion with old friends (from the first book), and it was just wonderful to meet them all again, and to follow more of their journey. The last book followed sister Thea and how she ended up with Dev. In this book we are back at Rothach Hall with sister Essie Wynter who is now the manager. When Mats, the son of the owners, turns up with his 2 children Essie thinks he is entitled and she doesn’t like him – but slowly he and the children grow on her. On top of this the third adopted sister, Valentina, buys a holiday home nearby, Essie has some visitors that knock her sideways, and Thea and Dev have some amazing news. I can’t wait for the next book in the series – surely it has to be a trilogy? Sue Moorcroft you are amazing – more please. https://www.goodreads.c...

  Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw   I was totally enthralled by this book from the beginning to the end. Just enough magic and mystery, but with a good dollop of reality, blended together perfectly in this novel. I wasn’t sure about the title, but the story blew me away.   Carrie is a Morgan, and the Morgan women have a very special place in the heart of Woodsmoke. They have a special book, passed from Grandmother to Granddaughter which shows them how to harness the power of the Mountains to make things happen – but the price is sometimes too high to pay. Carrie had escaped from Woodsmoke, but when her Grandmother dies she returns to renovate her cottage so she can sell it. Whilst there, she meets Matthieu who offers to help her with the renovations, and she is forced to evaluate all she feels about Woodsmoke. Is Matthieu all he seems? After all, no one else has actually seen him.   If you like a good book, with a bit of a magical touc...

  The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel What an amazing book. The book is so well written, with such believable characters and scenarios it seems more like a true story. It is well researched, and well written, and I couldn’t put it down – as hard as it was to read at some points. Jana runs a bookshop, that was once owned by her mother, and lives upstairs with her widowed father. The bookshop isn’t doing very well – mostly because the Nazi’s have banned most of the books she wants to sell. When Captain Kovar comes in to buy a book Jana initially doesn’t trust him, however their shared love of literature brings them slowly together. When Jana hides a Jewish child, and then two more, and hides them in the countryside with a grandparent she realises she needs to help by opposing the Nazis wherever she can. When a friend gives up a job cleaning at the Nazi headquarters through pregnancy, Jana takes over for the money, but also to spy and report to the resistance. I hadn’...

  Evenfall: The Golden Linnet by Alexander Armstrong I really enjoyed this book and feel that it would be suitable for anyone from 8 to 80.   It’s a magical story, but it draws you in so that it doesn’t jar, and all sound quite plausible. I see this as the first part in a magical series, like Harry Potter, and the hero is only 12 at the start of the book, so we could easily have quite a few books before he reaches 18.   Sam is twelve and his thirteenth birthday is fast approaching. He is living with his father, who is unwell, as his mother was killed in a car accident which Sam holds himself responsible. Fortunately, his best friend Ish, and Ish’s family, help to keep Sam safe and well fed. When Sam turns thirteen, he receives a gift which seems to give him unusual powers – which is fortunate because there are people out there trying to bring him down for reasons Sam cannot fathom. Sam’s father ends up in the hospital, and their home is ruined, and Sam and Ish go ...

  Perfectly Wicked by Lindsay Lovise   I thought this was going to be a YA style book, maybe a bit like Harry Potter, but then I came to a scene that was certainly not YA! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it, and it captured my interest throughout. It was a sort of Romcom with some magic thrown in, and I hope there is a sequel.   Holly and her sister have an orchard in America, which they run with their two Aunts. They are known for making the best cider in the region. They are also known for their orchard being haunted – which does them no favours. The orchard and business is about to go out of business. They have had an offer to buy them out from a rival orchard, so when a famous ghost hunter who runs a TV reality show, offers them a large sum to film at the orchard it seems to be the lesser of two evils and Holly, very reluctantly, accepts. What Holly doesn’t bank on is developing feelings for the reality host and she tries to ensure that this doesn’t endanger th...