Category Archives: Romance

The House in the Cerulean Sea – T J Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea – T J Klune

The theme for my book club this month is joy and when I googled joyful books this one came up.

Here’s the blurb …

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

I would call this a ‘romantasy’. It is very warm and cozy, and the characters are charming. I don’t think I am the target audience for it, I found it a bit didactic (a bit too much respect everyone, include everyone, etc.) I think I needed a bit more conflict.

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The Wedding Forecast – Nina Kenwood

The Wedding Forecast – Nina Kenwood

This was recommended on the Hill of Content Instagram – they have recommendations on a Monday.

Here’s the blurb …

Anna was never going to have an easy time at her best friend’s wedding. She’s the bridesmaid; her ex, Joel, is a groomsman. But she’s determined to get through the festivities with a smile on her face. Despite the fact that Joel is bringing his new partner, Bianca. Despite the fact she’s stuck sharing a house with the newly in-love couple. And despite the fact Anna has just turned thirty and her life is not exactly where she thought it would be by now. Anna has all her feelings completely under control—right up until the moment Joel drops a bombshell that rocks her to her core.

She needs a distraction, and Patrick, the wedding photographer, just might be the solution. Everyone has decided he is perfect for her. He is perfect for her. But the arrival of Mac, a not-quite-famous actor who has flown in from New York, complicates everything.

Much-loved YA author Nina Kenwood hits the spot with her first novel for adults. Laugh-out-loud funny with chemistry that jumps off the page, The Wedding Forecast will be the feel-good romcom of the summer.

I am a sucker for a good romantic comedy, and this was Australian!

This was great – well-written, with grown-up issues keeping people apart. The characters were great, and I loved all of the book talk.

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The Book Swap – Tessa Bickers

The Book Swap – Tessa Bickers

I was going on holiday and I wanted something non-booker shortlist to take away with me. And I always like a book about books.

Here’s the blurb …

Two book lovers. Two broken hearts. One fresh chapter?

A REASON TO LIVE.

Still grieving the death of her best friend, Erin knows she needs to start living – but has no idea how.
Then she loses her favourite book, a heavily annotated copy of To Kill A Mockingbird containing her friend’s last gift.

A REASON TO LOVE.

When James finds Erin’s note-filled book in his local community bookshelf, it sparks a life-changing conversation. He writes his own message for her to find, inviting her to meet him in the margins of Great Expectations . As the book exchange continues, they both begin to open up . . . and perhaps fall in love.

A REASON TO FORGIVE?

But Erin and James have a shared history that neither of them has guessed. How will Erin react when she discovers that the other writer isn’t a stranger at all – but the person she swore she’d never forgive?

Funny, heartwarming and romantic, THE BOOK SWAP is story of second chances and new beginnings. It is also a heartfelt love letter to books and the power of reading.

This was lovely, well-written with depth. The two main characters grow and develop over the course of the action. There is a lot of fabulous book talk. There are difficult family circumstances due to mental illness and infidelity, plus bullying. It’s about finding, and then being, your true self. Having the courage to follow a passion, give up a well renumerated but unsatisfying job.

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Slow Dance – Rainbow Rowell

Slow Dance – Rainbow Rowell

I wanted a break from my Booker prize longlist reading and this was recommended by the Hill of Content people.

Here’s the blurb …

Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together . . . everybody but Shiloh and Cary.

They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.

I had the wrong idea of this novel. I was hoping for something fun and light-hearted. This has single parenting, dealing with aging parents, and family conflict. I didn’t find either of the main characters charismatic and their relationship, to me, seemed a bit flat. Having said that, this is a story about second chances, picking yourself up and continuing when things have gone badly. It’s probably a bit too realistic for me.

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Held Anne Michaels

Held – Anne Michaels

I set myself the goal of reading the Booker Prize long list (I am not doing very well). I have read Stone Yard Devotional and Enlightenment and now this one.

Here’s the blurb …

The triumphant new novel from the author of the Orange Prize-winning Fugitive Pieces : a soaring and luminous story of chance and change

1917. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory – a chance encounter in a pub by a railway, a hot bath with his lover on a winter night, his childhood on a faraway coast – as the snow falls.

1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near another river – alive, but not still whole. Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and endeavours to keep on living. But the past erupts insistently into the present, as ghosts begin to surface in his pictures: ghosts whose messages he cannot understand .

So begins a narrative that spans four generations, moments of connection and consequence igniting and re-igniting as the century unfolds. In luminous moments of desire, comprehension, longing, transcendence, the sparks fly upward, working their transformations decades later.

Held is a novel like no other, by a writer at the height of her affecting and intensely beautiful, full of mystery, wisdom and compassion.

This was beautifully written, poetical with beautiful sentences. The structure reminds me of Jenny Offil – seemingly unrelated paragraphs and chapters, but somehow all connected and telling a story. Having only read three of the longlist, I am going to go out on a limb and say this one is going to win. Not because I didn’t like Stone Yard Devotional or Enlightenment (this is one of my favourite reads of the year), but I think the structure and the writing will appeal to judges.

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This Is How You Lose The Time War – Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This is How You Lose The Time War – Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The theme for my book club this month is ‘letters’. I wanted to read an epistolary novel and this one seemed to come up in everyone’s list. (I’m also reading Dictionary People by Sarah Ogilvie – more on that another time).

Here’s the blurb …

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.

I loved this novel. The writing is beautiful, poetic and moving. The plot is a confusing at first, but stick with it, it will all come together and make sense.

A review.

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Sally on the Rocks – Winifred Boggs

Sally on the Rocks – Winifred Boggs

I came across this in one of the many bookstores that we visited in London (Foyles, Hatchards, Daunts, Waterstones). The cover appealed to me (yes the cover does influence my decision).

Here’s the blurb …

When her bohemian life in Paris falls flat at the beginning of the First World War, Sally Lunton returns to the care of her guardian in Little Crampton to find a husband. With some encouragement from the local busybody, she makes a play for Mr Bingley, the bank manager, although she has a rival in Mrs Dalton, a widow with a young daughter to raise. These two ladies form a quiet alliance, recognising that the prize isn’t really worth fighting over but respecting the other’s pursuit of financial security. Sally aims to win but is distracted by her unsettling emotions for a soldier tortured by his experience at the Front. This entertaining novel is full of acute and humorous observations of male and female attitudes to love and marriage. Sally is a spirited heroine, who is determined to settle into a comfortable life now that she is in her early thirties. But in securing her future, Sally must also face her past.

This is a fabulous novel. Sally is a charming, witty heroine, Miss Maggie Hopkyns is officious and evil, Mr Bingley pompous, but then unexpectedly sympathetic. This novel shines a light on the double-standard women faced – the man gets married and has a family, while the women is an outcast.

A review.

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You Are Here – David Nicholls

You Are Here – David Nicholls

This was a Mother’s Day present. I have read some of Nicholls novels (Starter for Ten, Us, One Day). I loved Starter for Ten, but found Us and One Day just too sad.

Here’s the blurb …

Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way . . .

Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife’s departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he’ll do anything to avoid his empty house.

Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she’s battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it’s passing her by.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future . . . if they can survive the journey

I loved this book, it was delightful. The characters were great and the dialogue witty.

A review

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The Dream Stitcher – Deborah Gaal

The Dream Stitcher – Deborah Gaal

I went to Bayeux to see the Bayeux Tapestry. While in Bayeux, I went on a tour of the Normandy beach landings (Omaha and Juno). And on my tour were four women who were part of a book club. They had come to Bayeux because they had read this book. Obviously as someone obsessed by the tapestry, I had to read it.

Here’s the blurb …

The Dream Stitcher’s story moves eloquently between two time periods and places, America in 2008 and World War II Poland. Hard times are forcing Maude Fields to take in her estranged mother, Bea, whose secrets date to World War II. Bea arrives with a hand-embroidered recreation of La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde, the iconic 11th century Bayeux Tapestry. The replica contains clues to the identity of Maude’s father and the mythical Dream Stitcher, Goldye, a Jewish freedom fighter who helped launch the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. With the help of her pregnant daughter Rosie, Maude is determined to unravel decades of family deception to learn the truth about her parentage. With Poland on the brink of invasion by Nazi Germany, Goldye discovers—with the guidance of imaginary friend Queen Mathilda—that she can embroider dreams that come true. She becomes an apprentice at Kaminski Fine Fabrics, where she gains a reputation for creating wedding dresses for Aryan brides that bring their dreams to reality. She becomes known as the Dream Stitcher. Goldye meets and falls in love with Lev, a freedom fighter who wants to unite Jews and Poles to fight the Germans. Goldye sews images to help him. And she creates a powerful symbol for the resistance of the common a stitched hummingbird that spreads hope. Goldye leaves the ghetto to live with her sewing mentor, Jan Kaminski, who gains identity papers for Goldye as his Aryan niece. A Nazi commandant takes Jan and Goldye on a dangerous trip to France to decipher the symbols in The Bayeux Tapestry. The Nazis hope images in the Bayeux will reinforce Germany’s right to world domination. In California, Maude’s quest for the truth leads to family she didn’t know she had, and perhaps, love.

I loved this book. I enjoyed all of the references to stitching and embroidery. Plus I knew nothing about Poland during World War 2, so I learnt about that as well. It has a different theory about the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry than the one that is currently popular, but not unheard off. And it serves the story well.

A review.

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Emma of 83rd Street – Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Emma of 83rd Street – Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

This is an updated re-telling of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Here’s the blurb …

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene as two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.

I really like how the original story was updated. Moved to New York, Mr Woodhouse is obsessed by health and wellness, and Mr Knightley runs a venture capital firm. I particularly liked the relationship between Emma and Mr Knightley. If you are a fan of Emma or rom-coms, then I think you will find this novel fun.

A review.

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