Want to Know a Secret by Freida McFadden

 

Everyone has secrets.

YouTube baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she’d rather you didn’t know.

Like where did her son go when he snuck out of the house? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows?

And what’s buried in her backyard?

Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others.

April’s secrets are enough to destroy her.

I’ll make sure of that.

I have had a mixed experience with Freida McFadden books, The Housemaid had me gripped but the others I have read haven't quite hit the mark that is until I sat and read Want to Know a Secret where once again I was swept along with a storyline that had me suspecting one character one minute then firmly accusing another one the next only to have me weaved into a web of twists and turns not knowing who to trust.

In the first half of this book which is told by April POV we get to know April who I began to see a little as a people pleaser, using her amazing cooking skills to form a sense of connection and security with people. Through April we meet her new neighbour Maria who she helps to introduce into the neighbourhood and the school mums including April's best friend Julie. In the beginning it feels just like easy reading cosy neighbourhood community vibes but gradually little things begin to make me suspicious and this is when I started collecting clues and suspicions on the women began to arise.

This book I guarantee will be an unpredictable read for every reader because one revelation literally hits so unexpectedly it was completely random. This is a fast paced thriller as we have come to know and expect from this authors books and is what I love as rather than a slow burn it keeps me on my toes right up until that very last page.

Available to purchase here

The Cafe on the Coast by Christie Barlow

 

Can a cake change your life?

Clemmie Rose’s great-great-grandmother’s beloved clementine torte is her ticket to the prestigious Royal Baking Competition. A win could put Puffin Island’s charming Café on the Coast on the map, land Clemmie her very own cookbook deal, and secure her a coveted invitation to a royal garden party.

But when she discovers the competition is being hosted aboard the Royal Yacht by none other than her ex, Oliver Lockwood, the stakes – and the soufflés –suddenly rise, and Clemmie’s bid for the Golden Whisk trophy is at risk of collapsing like an underbaked sponge.

When a decades-old secret is thrown into the mix, she’ll need more than the perfect recipe to keep her dreams from crumbling.

I have read a few of Christie Barlow's books before however I must have been living under a rock because I had already started reading this book before I found out it is actually book 4 in the Puffin Island series! 

Not to panic though as I seemed to read The Cafe on the Coast easily enough as a stand-alone I can only assume I would have felt like more of the community having got to know some of the characters already in the previous books.

My absolute weakness when it comes to books are romances set in cafes, bakeries and bookstores so this book being a romance set in cafe was always going to tick a lot of boxes for me but add to that the challenge of a Royal Bake Off and some hidden family secrets and this book really hit the mark.

Puffin Island is a glorious setting giving that instantly welcoming community vibe and our main character Clemmie sure has some supportive friends and family around her. I loved watching this girl next door woman have her Pretty woman moment. The will they wont they romance that burned between Clemmie and Oliver kept me guessing wondering if and how this relationship was ever going to work when both had such strong ideas and goal to achieve.

 I really enjoyed this book and I will now crawl out from my rock and go and read the previous books in this series too.

Available to purchase here

The Tainted Khan by Taran Matharu

 Jai dreams of being a dragon rider. He dreams of freedom from the Sabine Empire and a world in which he can lead his people, the Kidara, to freedom. But even though he has his dragon, Winter, she is still growing, just as he’s still growing in his own power. And the road to victory is even more fraught than he had hoped…

Because even when he finds a tribe on the Great Steppe, they are not his people. They are the outcasts, the Tainted, and he finds that he knows little of the political intricacies that take place in these vast grasslands. He is a stranger amongst his own kind, for Jai’s uncle rules, and is loath to cede power to his nephew.

But the legionaries and Gryphon Guard of the Sabine Empire are wreaking havoc against the other tribes of the Great Steppe, and Jai is forced to learn a lifetime’s worth of knowledge in a matter of months. From levelling up his magic, to becoming a true warrior, saving the woman he loves, and strengthening his bond with Winter, Jai is a dragon rider with a massive weight on his young shoulders. And his greatest hope is that the shoulders of Winter will soon be strong enough to help carry him.

The Tainted Khan is the second book in this series which follows on from Dragon Rider and I you definitely need to read these books in order you are fighting a losing battle trying to read this book as a standalone. We are reunited with Jai and he is on a mission to take his place as the high Khan of the Kidara and he will stop at nothing to achieve this. 

Compared to the previous book this one is a lot more battle led as Jai works to bring tribes together to build the ultimate force against the Sabine Empire. Taran Matharu certainly excels in his descriptive writing and world building in this book and his relationships between characters are well developed too. I enjoyed the kinship that forms between Jai and Feng particularly. I still stick by what I said in my review of Dragon Rider in that the dragon element I expected to be more central to the storyline but this isn't the case and although Winter appears more in this book I really feel the lack of communication between Jai and Winter was a real loss to this story.

This book is a beast of a book and felt never ending but there was always something going on with Jai on his journey but I did find my attention waivering at points so I did swap to audio and found this was much more engaging and exciting. 

The shock revelation really was unexpected, I didn't even have a hint of what was going to be revealed and I was in that much shock when I heard it that I reverted straight back to my kindle to read it with my own eyes!

I did enjoy this book despite its hefty size but it is certainly one you need to set time aside to read.

Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

 

Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun.

Zeke is looking for love.

Neither of them were looking for a one-night stand to become their one and only lifeline.

But when they wake up after an unforgettable night together, the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea. There's no signal, no steering and no sign of rescue.

And as the waves pick up and supplies run low, Zeke and Lexi realise there's much more on the line than their new relationship.

I couldn't wait to be swept away ( see what I did there!) with this book by Beth O'Leary. I have come to know and love this authors ability to write story lines from both male and female points of view in unusual forced proximity settings and this one is no exception as we join Lexi and Zeke on an extended one night stand that leaves them stranded out at sea on a boat.

As the couple face challenging and dangerous situations while they hope to be rescued they actually start to open up and not only really get to know each other but without the distractions of the real world around them they begin to help each other discover more about themselves too and I loved watching their self discovery and confidence grow. 

This is a cheeky book because just as your gently bobbing along towards the latter part of this book there is suddenly a twist that even though I am telling you there is a twist you WILL NOT see it coming! There are no clues it just pops up and bites you on the bum!

Available to purchase here

Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer

 

Nova Scotia, 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her. Until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.

Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.

Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes's past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom--and of love....

With evocative prose and immersive storytelling, Fireflies in Winter is a powerful novel about love--love for the wilderness in all its unforgiving beauty, and love between two women who risk everything to be together.

Fireflies in Winter is the first book I have read by Eleanor Shearer and this one was certainly a learning curve for me as I had no prior knowledge of The Maroons who were sent from Jamaica to Nova Scotia, I had to google this to get a general insight into this because the book did't so much educate me on this it prompted more of an intrigue which made me want to gather more insight.

The storyline sure is a story of resilience and survival in a dangerous and unsettled place which was felt through the pages with thanks to the author's descriptive writing style. Our main characters Cora and Agnes really are strong women but they had no choice if they wanted to survive and live a life of freedom. We also meet Thursday who I loved from our first meeting and he was the only character I found myself really drawn to and had trust in too.

This book isn't full of dramatic twists and turns, it is a gentle paced read too but for the story it is trying to tell this works well. I did find it took me quite a while to feel invested in the storyline however I do wonder if this was more so because of my lack of knowledge of the history that this book is cantered around so maybe those who have existing knowledge may find it a different reading experience. 

Dear Debbie Freida McFadden

 

Sometimes, enough is enough...

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.

Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie's life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie's done being the bigger person. She's done being reasonable and practical. It's time to take her own advice.

And now it's time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.

One thing I can always guarantee when it comes to a Freida McFadden book is that it will be quick paced and I will be completely blindsided and that was certainly the case when I sat down to read her new release Dear Debbie this morning and finished it in one greedy sitting!

I have never read another authors books whose storyline feels so unbelievably predictable only to be thrown a complete curve ball and a twist that I never see coming which bumps a 3 star read right up to a 4!

Debbie is certainly a bad ass character who will do whatever it takes to defend and protect her family in the most extreme ways, it became apparent quite early on that she is a character not to be messed with. The chapters alternate between Debbie, her husband Cooper and her friend Harley so we get to know these characters too and the brain starts looking for clues already trying to work out who we trust and whose motives we should be suspicious of.

This book is great for anyone who loves an unpredictable thriller that has revenge, long held secrets and deception at the heart of the book.

A Cottage in the Country by Katie Fforde

 

She's found her dream home but can she make her dreams a reality?

Hattie finds other people their dream homes for a living.

Surely she, of all people, has the connections and the knowledge to find her own forever home? Instead, she baffles those closest to her by choosing to pack up and move every few months from one housesitting job to the next.

Of course, that's because she knows where she wants to live. It's a beautiful house owned by a lovely old woman who'd simply love for Hattie to have it.

But nothing is ever that simple.

There's Clive who refuses to listen to his great-aunt's wishes about her house. There's Luke, Hattie's oldest friend, who just wants to see her happy. And there's Hattie herself. It might take a difficult client, an awkward teenager and a couple of dogs to help her see what really makes a house a home.

Katie Fforde has delivered another cosy wholesome read and has introduced us to Hattie who truly has a heart of gold. As well as matching people with their dream homes, thanks to her gift she also finds herself playing cupid too but all the way through this book I was just eager for Hattie to find her own love and happy place. Her nephew Xander was a lovely addition to the story and seeing him thrive and grow as a character in his new soundings was really lovely to watch. 

The couple of not so nice characters in this book helps the book to have a little more depth and not be too sickly sweet and finding that kindness always overcomes evil is always something I love.

As with many cosy romances the outcome was predictable and yet I still found myself wrapped up in the storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed A Cottage in the Country and would definitely recommend it for those who enjoy a comforting wholesome read.