January Book Review

It's a bit late in the month to be doing the book review but I don't seem to have enough time to get everything done!

January was good on the reading front, I managed 3 books

A heart-warming story of love and friendship in wartime from the bestselling author of Where the Heart is and London Belles.

It's September 1940 and the London Blitz has begun. For the four girls living at No. 13 Article Row, life must go on, despite the nightly bombing raids.

Underground employee, Agnes, is working round the clock to deal with the huge influx of people seeking safety in her station, while Dulcie is trying hard to make peace with her mother.

Nurse Sally returns to Liverpool and gets a shocking reminder of the past, but this is pushed from her mind when a dreadful accident occurs.

As Christmas approaches, her friend Tilly meets a handsome young American called Drew. Could he be the one to mend her broken heart?

As the bombs continue to rain down on a wintery London, the girls do their best to create some Christmas cheer – but the only present they really want is to be home for Christmas.

I started this one just after Christmas, I read A Christmas Promise by the same author & thought this was the 2nd book. Unfortunately this was the 1st so I got a bit confused with the characters!

I found it really hard going & lost interest in the beginning but managed to struggle through.

This is not a reflexion of the book, I would just recommend if you plan reading it just make sure you read this one first!!

8/10

When Imogen and Anna unexpectedly inherit their grandmother Vivien's ice cream parlour, it turns both their lives upside-down. The Brighton shop is a seafront institution, but while it's big on charm it's critically low on customers. If the sisters don't turn things around quickly, their grandmother's legacy will disappear forever.

With summer looming, Imogen and Anna devise a plan to return Vivien's to its former glory. Rather than sell up, they will train up, and make the parlour the newest destination on the South Coast foodie map.

While Imogen watches the shop, her sister flies to Italy to attend a gourmet ice cream-making course. But as she works shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best chefs in the industry, Anna finds that romance can bloom in the most unexpected of places...

This book had been on my Amazon wish list for sometime after I read/hear about it through a follower blogger. I was lucky to find this in a bag of donations that came into the shop & after reading so many WW2 romance books I thought I needed a break.

A quick easy read that was really enjoyable……. someone said 'like a bar of good chocolate'!

The plot lines were easy to work out & I can safely say there were no shocks but I still really enjoyed it.

A great summer holiday read & the ice cream recipes will make your mouth water!

And it's cheap as chips on Amazon at the moment!

9/10

In my dreams, I was always in some vast landscape on a long, straight road. Driving. Always driving.'

Gwenda had always loved the open road, but her home town of Newcastle didn't really offer the sort of adventure she longed for. So, in 1957, with friend and fellow nurse Pat in tow, she left the dismal British winter behind, and embarked on an amazing American adventure.

After a year nursing in Cleveland, Gwenda, Pat and three new friends set off on a road trip around North America, driving in a rickety 1949 Ford. What follows is the charming true story of five remarkable young women. Over the course of eighteen months, the girls go to a 4th July rodeo, visit San Francisco and Las Vegas, learn to surf in Hawaii, spot movie stars in Hollywood and celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Wherever they go, the travelling nurses cause a sensation. This is a delightfully nostalgic memoir of friendship and the romance of the open road.

Another charity shop find. I wasn't sure about this book as I hadn't heard of it before & it certainly wasn't on my wish list but I thought I'd give it a go. Oh boy was I pleased I did…… I loved it!!

It was one of those books I didn't want to end. I would loved to have visited America in the 1950's so I really enjoyed reading all about Gwenda & her friends adventure.

10/10

And just because it's Valentines day