The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies

REVIEWED BY Micky Barnard

The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

This was an intriguing historical tale of hopeful love, suspense and prejudice set in Ceylon in colonial times. Sometimes I just need to immerse myself in a historical read and the setting of the Far East was a new one for me. I did enjoy reading about the different indigenous cultures and the British ruling classes. The main female character Gwen, is a young bride from England who met and married Laurence quickly then followed him to Ceylon. Laurence is a widower and it is quickly apparent that he is reluctant to talk about his previous marriage and his late wife's death. Those experiences seem like a dark cloud over him and seem to impede the natural development of Gwen and Laurence's relationship. Whilst Gwen is naive, she does have some backbone and I essentially liked her character and need to find some independence. There are some shifty side characters that had me suspicious early in the story, they made for good reading. The suspense in this book builds to a fever pitch that leaves you desperate for resolution but wanting the best for the two main characters, even when it seems impossible.

This is my first read by Dinah Jeffries and I enjoyed her writing style immensely. She wove a tale of complex relationships in a believable way. I would definitely read more by her.

I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

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The Gambler: The Wedding Pact #3 by Denise Grover Swank

REVIEWED BY Monique Cashmere

The Gambler: The Wedding Pact #3 by Denise Grover Swank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything is a Gamble - Love most of all!

This is the story of Libby, the ever happy go lucky girl that has always believed in The Pact or Curse which ever way you want to look at it. She knows that the first wedding she plans won't be the one she ends up being married to forever. And it all has to happen before she is thirty, which is only days away. But what she doesn't know is, who is her sole mate that is going to come and stop this first wedding and whisk her away?
Of course, her female best friends still don't believe in the pact or curse, so they have no idea what Lib is up to. Even her male best friend Noah thought she was going to marry Mitch for real. And right up until the vows, so did Libby.

What happens after, is another hilarious read from Denise. She just has the knack of creating characters with depth and emotion. The third chapter had me laughing all the way, I loved bridesmaid Noah! And we get to hear about Megan and Josh, Blair and Garrett again along with the grandmothers - Grams and Nana Ruby, who take on Vegas Baby!

The Gambler is the third and final book in this series The Wedding Pact. I took my time reading this book as I wanted to savour it all. The ending has great closure but it saddens me it has come to a finale, I am still placing bets that Denise may write a standalone book for Megan's brother Kevin - his story needs to be told too. Highly recommend this book even if you haven't read the previous two, but you won't be disappointed in any of these three books.

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Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

REVIEWED BY Micky Barnard 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

YA rocks my world right now. This book was so everything everything that it is immediately shelved in my favourites 2015 folder. The writing, the concept for the story and the main characters were complete brilliance; I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Eighteen year old Madeline has been kept in a bubble all her life, quite literally. She suffers from an rare disease that means she is allergic to everything. Everything could kill her. So, she lives in her house, with its air filters, air lock and access to two other human beings. She's been fairly content with her lot until a new family move in next door. Olly intrigues her and notices the girl at the window. They find a way to connect and get to know each other. I had an inkling of where this book was eventually going but the execution was just beautiful.

There is a uniqueness to this book that is refreshing. I was drawn into Maddy's world and predicament, desperate to advocate for her. Maddy and Olly made me 'feel'. I recommend this book and this author to anyone who reads!

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Delayed Penalty by Sophia Henry

REVIEWED BY Micky Barnard

Delayed Penalty by Sophia Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a good, solid debut by Sophia Henry. I do enjoy a good sports romance and I have especially enjoyed some of the hockey series out here, so I was drawn to the blurb of this book. The female lead, Auden, was easy to like and a strong young woman from Russian decent. She works for her Grandpa when back from college interpreting Russian documents. This time her Grandpa gives her a real person to interpret for, Aleksandr a Russian hockey player needing help with the media interviews. Outwardly cocky and arrogant but you find he's much deeper as his character and background are revealed. These two were good together and there was witty dialogue that I really enjoyed.

There were some elements to the story in the last third and some background to the characters, that were a little unnecessary but I was able to see beyond this to the story as a whole. I can see potential for further characters in this series and would definitely read future books.

I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Country Girl, City Moon by Salem Archer

REVIEWED BY Joanne Swinney

Country Girl, City Moon by Salem Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't believe my luck knowing another book was being released to follow a fantastic start of 'Moondance in Red'. Not even a hint of a cliff hanger so I suspected that was it, a standalone, but no these characters have so much more to say.

Home is where the heart is, fact! Maggie Dupree is a country girl born and bread until she met heart throb, Mason that is.
I would follow him anywhere. He's a very strong alpha male with a huge heart filled with love for Maggie.

Maggie went through a very difficult first marriage and has no desires to get married again anytime soon. She's happy to live in sin with Mason or is she? Women, we never really know what we want. Maggie is trying to protect her heart but really it already belongs to Mason. What she really needs to learn is never believe everything you read in the papers. Journalists are vultures looking for the next big story. Unfortunately they tend to with hold the true facts and this puts Mason in a tricky spot and Maggie heartbroken.

I have to say they are a beautiful couple, I found myself smiling while reading. Following their journey of love, laughter, adventure and haters. Oh yes there is always some haters. Jealousy is an ugly trait.
Mason wants to protect Maggie to the point where he wants her going nowhere on her own but Maggie believes he's just being over protective. I'm on the fence. I sense danger but to what degree I am unsure of.

I'm bouncing on my heels waiting for book three. Again there is no cliff hanger so you can read this book straight away and sleep happily.

Please don't take to long Salem Archer I'm dying to read more of Mason and Maggie's story.
Thank so much for continuing to write these books.
High Five from joandisalovebooks.

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Worthy Of Love? by J.Lea

REVIEWED BY Kari Cox

Worthy of Love? by J. Lea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was gifted a copy of this book for an honest review.

This book was a cute love story with a little added trauma and drama. The story bounces from past to present; learning a little bit more about your main character each time. Lori has a dark, upsetting past, but she’s trying to make her future a happy one. She has secrets she thinks she will need to keep in order for that to happen. At least she does until a handsome new man in her life is making her second guess. I enjoyed the book and I especially enjoyed Lori’s best friend. He’s quirky, funny, and I would take him as my best friend any day.

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Diamond Boy in the Rough by Helen Faul

REVIEWED BY Becky Cox

Diamond Boy in the Rough by Helen Faul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

I was gifted a copy for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this story. It is a YA book but is so well written it can be enjoyed by any age.

Alfie is such an entertaining character. His banter is so typical of that age and the colloquialisms had me laughing more than once. This appears to be the first in a series and I look forward to more of Alfie's adventures.

I believe this is Helen's debut novel and it is an outstanding way to start off her writing career. All of her characters are believable, very expertly described and you can't help but fall in love with a with a few like Risla and Lolah.

Well done Ms. Faul and thank you for a great adventure!

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