Review: Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan*

  *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Safiyyah's War
Author: Hiba Noor Khan
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Antisemitism, 

Rating: ★★★★★

War comes to the streets of Paris and Safiyyah’s life changes for ever.

Her best friend’s family have fled, and the bombing makes her afraid to leave the mosque where she lives. But when her father is arrested by the Nazis for his secret Resistance work, it falls to Safiyyah to run the dangerous errands around the city.

It’s not long before hundreds of persecuted Jews seek sanctuary at the mosque. Can Safiyyah find the courage to enter the treacherous catacombs under Paris and lead the Jews to safety?

Safiyyah’s War is a beautiful and touching story of resistance, bravery, family and community from author Hiba Noor Khan.

Prior to reading Safiyyah’s War, I was not aware of the heroic actions of the Muslim community of Paris during the Nazi occupation in supporting resistance work and protecting Jews from persecution. It’s an area of history which is nowhere near talked about enough as it should be so it’s fantastic to see their actions memorialised in a book.

Hiba Noor Khan is a truly gifted writer and a standout author within middle grade/children’s fiction.  Her magical story telling ability has crafted a gripping a well-paced narrative which will engage both young and adult readers alike and the vivid descriptive language truly made 1940s Paris come alive on the page.

Safiyyah is a beautifully written character with such depth to her character despite her young age. She was an authentically written young character whose bravery will inspire generations of young people.

This middle grade book needs to be in every school library and added into every World War Two history curriculum. Although it’s a middle grade story it’s also a must a read book for adult readers who will equally take so much from the story. It is a moving story which will stay with readers for a long time.

Review: Ms Perfectly Fine by Kate Callaghan*

  *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Ms Perfectly Fine
Author: Kate Callaghan
Genre: Romance Suspense

Trigger warnings:  Stalking, Survivor's Guilt, Trauma, Chronic Pain, Anxiety, Self-Isolation

Rating: ★★★ 

Autumn wants the house, but Elijah wants her.

Autumn Adler, a famous concert pianist, is making her solo comeback to the stage after a tragic accident, and she can’t afford any distractions. Of all the things that could go wrong, she never expected her landlord to rent out the ground floor of her home to Elijah Wells – a game designer in the midst of building his own company. Autumn loves her townhouse, and she refuses to give it up. However, Elijah is equally stubborn. As the days pass, Autumn’s efforts to make him leave only further his desire to win her over. It seems as though neither can win this battle of wills.

Yet as Autumn’s showcase approaches, a seemingly innocent gift turns into something far more alarming. Can the two call a truce and figure out what’s going on?

One house, two strangers, and a dark secret. What could go wrong?

Ms Perfectly Fine is a new contemporary romance story from Kate Callaghan. It is the forced proximity enemies to lovers romance story of Autumn and Elijah, with an added element of suspense/thriller as Autumn has a stalker whose identity is unknown. The narrative is well-paced and an easy read, perfect to curl up with and read in a single sitting.

Autumn was a fantastic female main character and I loved the contrast between her grumpy side and Elijah’s sunshine personality. We have incredible chronic pain and mental health representation through Autumn’s character and it was wonderful to have this representation without it defining the character. Her monologue towards the end of the book about chronic pain was really powerful and a standout aspect of the story.

I’m a sucker for any story where he falls first and harder and this was no exception. Elijah was a fantastic, charming love interest and I loved the banter between the two of them. He really looked after Autumn whilst still supporting her to get out of her comfort zone and more towards a place of healing which was wonderful to read. Elijah and Autumn had incredible chemistry and I loved the spicy scenes which were very well written.

The suspense thriller element added another dimension to your typical romance novel and I thought this was really interesting. The stalker’s identity was predictable for me but based on other reviews I’ve read I seem to be in the minority with this one. I would have liked this aspect of the story to have been more drawn out however as it felt rushed and more of an afterthought than the well-crafted plot point it could have been. My gut says that this was because the book was almost trying to be two things in one: a romance story and a thriller. This could have worked but in order to effectively tell both aspects of the story the book needed to be longer.

Overall, Ms Perfectly Fine is a great cosy read for fans of the forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine and he falls first and harder tropes. It is also good for readers who like both the romance and thriller genres as the book combines the two into one story.

Review: Lovelight Farms by B.K Borison*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Lovelight Farms
Author: B.K Borison
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death of a Parent, Alcoholism

Rating: ★★★★★ 

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a child, Stella enters a contest with insta-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the huge cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said that she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only . . . there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious relationship in the process. Will their fake love affair save Lovelight Farms in time for Christmas?

Lovelight Farms is the first instalment of B.K Borison’s Lovelight series. I’m incredibly late to the party with this series but I’m so glad I’m finally here because I’m now hooked. A friends to lovers fake dating story set at Christmas is my absolute idea of heaven so it was no surprise when I absolutely devoured this book and fell totally in love with the characters and setting.

B.K Borison has an engaging writing style which makes you feel like you’ve dropped right into the small-town setting. The plot was well paced and humour was well placed throughout.

Stella was a fantastically written female protagonist and Luka was a totally swoon-worthy male romantic interest although I am furious at Stella for not realising it sooner. Theirs is totally an ‘everyone can see it apart from them’ love story which I will admit I am a sucker for. Their chemistry was just off the charts and the spicy scenes were some of my favourite that I’ve read in romance books.

The small-town setting felt really cosy and this makes it perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls. In the other town residents we have some fantastic supporting characters who were all fantastically written and I nearly fell in love with Beckett as much as I did Luka so I’m excited to read the next book which focuses more on him.

Lovelight Farm is a gorgeous wholesome romance read which is perfect for getting you in the festive spirit. It is definitely one I’m going to return to every winter and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the rest of the series.