When the Tamarind Tree Blooms by Elaine Russell

The things I liked best about this book were the historical setting and the information itself. I had never read a book based on 1931 French Colonial Laos before, and it was a fascinating visit. In some ways, the world the book talks about is a mirror of several other naturally wealthy parts of the East that were…

To Woo and to Wed by Martha Waters

I have not read any of the books in this series before. This only meant I went in with no expectation or prior knowledge of the history between the primary couple. Sophie and West once had an understanding. We are given a glimpse into their past when we see them in the current timeline. Slowly,…

The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson

I have read one other book by the author and liked the style of writing and the kind of protagonist the story revolves around. This was also similar in that sense. Tasha is a lonely girl, scarred by previous events (mentally). She is finding it hard to trust and befriend people again. She has moved…

The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church

This was a very sad tale. There is not much of a respite from the sadness, maybe a semblance of a happy ending, but there are things that happen in this book that cannot be taken away. It is not graphic or overtly violent, but it did make me sad enough to preface this review…

The Mysterious Mrs Hood by Kim Donovan

This was a well-documented book. The author begins the story by talking about her own personal connection to the subject, a half-sister of a grandmother who was murdered. The author then set out to find out more about the situation and collected details from newspapers and other sources to give a very detailed account of…

The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson

Narrated by Annette Holland; Georgia Maguire There are two narrative voices in this book. One is of a young woman, lost and adrift, and the other is of a surer older woman who we do not get to actually meet till the very end. I think my final rating for this book is based more…

The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin

Narrated by Sophie Roberts This was a simple story that explored a French town and the experience of living in the French countryside. The romance is expected to be straightforward, with fewer miscommunications than is usual for the genre. Hattie is a wedding planner, or at least an assistant to one until her cousin gives…

Secrets of a Scottish Isle by Erica Ruth Neubauer

I have read a scattered few of this series, missing one or two in between. This time around, the duo is in rural Scotland, and the author sets the scene well. The remote location and the cold and biting wind are well documented, and whatever else I thought of the mystery itself, I could imagine…