The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford

Blurb

"A sweeping, powerful novel set on the Scottish island of St Kilda, following the last community to live there before it was evacuated in 1930.

Summer 1927: When Fred Lawson takes a summer job on St Kilda, little does he realise that he has joined the last community to ever live on that beautiful, isolated island. Only three years later, St Kilda will be evacuated, the islanders near-dead from starvation. But for Fred, that summer - and the island woman, Chrissie, whom he falls in love with - becomes the very thing that sustains him in the years ahead.

1940: Fred has been captured behind enemy lines in France and finds himself in a prisoner-of-war camp. Beaten and exhausted, his thoughts return to the island of his youth and the woman he loved and lost. When Fred makes his daring escape, prompting a desperate journey across occupied territory, he is sustained by one thought only: finding his way back to her.

The Lost Lights of St Kilda is a sweeping love story that will cross oceans and decades. It is a moving and deeply vivid portrait of two lovers, a desolate island, and the extraordinary power of hope in the face of darkness."

Hardcover, 288 pages
Published March 5th 2020 by Corvus
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

This is a novel of two main halves; the story moves back and forth between Chrissie's time growing up on the island and Fred's point of view as a prisoner of war in 1940 trying to get home. Occasionally we also join Rachel Anne in Scotland in 1940 trying to understand her heritage of the island of St Kilda.

Elisabeth Gifford paints a vivid picture of life on St Kilda, the remains of a community that had lost more and more people to opportunities on the mainland, to a point where continuing to live on the island was no longer sustainable. I really valued this glimpse of another time and a completely different way of life and the descriptions of the starkly beautiful but unforgiving land and sea. The focus on their environment, community, the animals and the seasons was humbling and the story of their eventual evacuation and loss of all they had ever known was devastating.

The other half set in war torn Europe follows Fred's struggles to avoid the enemy while helped by many ordinary people acting in extraordinary ways to resist and save people in dangerous situations. He reminisces about his time on the island with Chrissie and begins to question what is worth fighting for.

I enjoyed the relationship between Fred and Chrissie but for me it was secondary to the story of the island community which touched me deeply. It's sad to think of an island and its people with thousands of years' of history and traditions now lost forever.

I gave this book 4 out of 5.

The Author

Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan

Blurb

"Who says you can’t choose your family?
When Flora falls in love with Jack, suddenly she’s not only handling a very cranky teenager, but she’s also living in the shadow of Jack’s perfect, immortalised wife, Becca. Every summer, Becca and Jack would holiday with Becca’s oldest friends and Jack wants to continue the tradition, so now Flora must face a summer trying to live up to Becca’s memory, with not only Jack’s daughter looking on, but with Becca’s best friends judging her every move…

The more Flora tries to impress everyone, the more things go horribly wrong…but as the summer unfolds, Flora begins pushing her own boundaries, and finding herself in a way that she never thought she needed to.

And she soon learns that families come in all shapes and sizes."

Paperback, UK, 400 pages
Published April 2nd 2020 by HQ
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

I've been reading and loving Sarah Morgan's books for a while now, and while this is no exception I felt this book had some darker undertones than many of her other books. The prologue felt a little bit like the start of a thriller and the feeling of mystery surrounding Becca and her secrets had me intrigued from the start. It also handles the wide ways we deal with loss and grief, which Sarah Morgan depicts with grace and sensitivity.

Even with it's mysterious edges this book still radiates the author's usual warmth. I identified with Flora and her tendency to people please and fear of rejection. Her growth throughout the book was really heartwarming as was the way relationships developed with the other characters, including Izzy and Molly and the family friends was lovely.

This is a wonderfully uplifting book, valuing the importance of honesty and being yourself. I've given it 4 out of 5.

The Author

USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes romance and contemporary women's fiction and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. Sarah lives near London, England, and when she isn't reading or writing she loves being outdoors.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Blurb

"A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the author of The Hunting Party.

The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?"

Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published March 19th 2020 by HarperCollins
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

It's difficult to do justice to just how brilliant this book really is; I was gripped from the start. As we move between the different points of view, the connections, histories and past grievances begin to come to light. Moving back and forth between the characters first arriving on the island for the wedding and a point leading up to the body being found, Lucy Foley creates a tense atmosphere which kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to put the book down. Her descriptions of the island evoke an eerie sense of isolation from the outside world and from any form of help as a storm begins to rage in both a literal sense and amongst the characters.

Who's the victim and who's the murderer? The author kept me guessing to the very end!

This book gets 5 out of 5 from me.

The Author - in her own words

I live in London, but love traveling - both in real life and on the page (hence the appearance of some far flung locations in my writing).

My latest novel is The Invitation - set in the film world of the 1950s, along the Italian Riviera.

My debut novel, The Book of Lost & Found, published in early 2015.

You can find my Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/LucyFoleyAuthor

and follow me on Twitter as:

@lucyfoleytweets

The Cancer Ladies' Running Club by Josie Lloyd

Blurb

"When Keira receives her breast cancer diagnosis she doesn’t want to have to tell her children or her husband Tom, and she doesn’t want to step back from work. She doesn’t want to sit in a hospital and stare mortality in the face, nor be part of a group of fellow cancer sufferers. Cancer is not her club.

But, as she is forced to accept everything must change and her health becomes something she can’t rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. Hot, sweaty running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment.

One step at a time Keira is going to reclaim something. Her family, her business, her life.

Moving and uplifting, this is a novel about love, family and the power of finding your tribe."

Paperback, 400 pages
Expected publication: June 25th 2020 by HQ
Received with thanks from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

In her introduction, the author Josie Lloyd explained how this book was inspired by her own breast cancer story and the inspiring people she met along the way. The book is really well written and it was good to read a book that honestly tells the struggles of going through cancer treatment, seemingly without sugar-coating it while still telling a story of strength and hope in the face of adversity.

I was drawn in from page one to Keira's world, from the introduction to her family and friends and then receiving the shattering news of her breast cancer diagnosis. I felt every step of her journey and the challenges, heartbreaks and uplifting moments along the way. I felt the reality of what a cancer diagnosis can mean, including the wide variety of reactions from different people and how it affects the family around the person as much as the person themselves.

The Cancer Ladies' Running Club is an inspiring story and I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially the ladies themselves, Keira, Tamsyn, Amma and Sian. The love and support they show each other is really uplifting and show the importance of friendship and understanding in difficult times.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5.

The Author

Josie Lloyd has written a lot of books, many of them with her husband Emlyn Rees.

The Familiars by Stacey Hall

Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a noblewoman, is with child again. None of her previous pregnancies have borne fruit, and her husband, Richard, is anxious for an heir. Then Fleetwood discovers a hidden doctor’s letter that carries a dire prediction: she will not survive another birth. By chance she meets a midwife named Alice Grey, who promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. But Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Fleetwood must risk everything to prove her innocence. As the two women’s lives become intertwined, the Witch Trials of 1612 loom. Time is running out; both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Rich and compelling, set against the frenzy of the real Pendle Hill Witch Trials, this novel explores the rights of 17th-century women and raises the question: Was witch-hunting really women-hunting? Fleetwood Shuttleworth, Alice Grey and the other characters are actual historical figures. King James I was obsessed with asserting power over the lawless countryside (even woodland creatures, or “familiars,” were suspected of dark magic) by capturing “witches”—in reality mostly poor and illiterate women.

Hardcover, 344 pages
Published February 19th 2019 by Mira Books (first published February 7th 2019)

My Review

This story is told from the point of view of Fleetwood Shuttleworth (yes, that was her real name!), a young woman of 17 who is on her fourth pregnancy and is desperate to ensure her child survives after three miscarriages. When she meets Alice, she meets someone who could be a friend for the first time in her life but Alice has secrets and is mysterious.

I liked the way Stacey Halls wove a story around the history of the real Pendle witch trials using real people who were close to the trials and creating an answer to the mystery of Alice's missing story. I sometimes found Fleetwood's narrative a little unbelievable as she rides around the countryside searching for answers but appreciated the descriptions. I also found her history with her mother really interesting and more believable for the time.

I would really have valued reading chapters from Alice's point of view to further bring her story to life.

This was an enjoyable story with some insight into the danger during witch trials, when neighbours would turn against their neighbours, and being a woman not conforming to patriarchal stereotypes could have you branded a witch. This gets 3 out of 5 from me.

The Author

Stacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at The Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk, and has also written for Psychologies, the Independent and Fabulous magazine, where she now works as Deputy Chief Sub Editor. The Familiars is her first novel.