Review: The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel*

*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. This review is being posted as part of the The Last Bookshop In Prague blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: The Last Bookshop In Prague
Author: Helen Parusel
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Antisemitism, The Holocaust, Guns

Rating:    

Was she incredibly brave or incredibly stupid? Neither. Just a bookshop girl doing what she could against her country’s oppressors.

The banned books club was only the beginning; a place for the women of Prague to come together and share the tales the Germans wanted to silence.

For bookshop owner, Jana, doing the right thing was never a question. So when opportunity comes to help the resistance, she offers herself – and her bookshop. Using her window displays as covert signals and hiding secret codes in book marks, she’ll do all in her power to help.

But the arrival of two people in her bookshop will change everything: a young Jewish boy with nowhere else to turn, and a fascist police captain Jana can’t read at all. In a time where secrets are currency and stories can be fatal, will she know who to trust?

A heart-wrenching and powerful story of courage, tenacity and love. Fans of Suzanne Goldring, Mandy Robotham and Debbie Rix will devour this unforgettable novel.

The Last Bookshop in Prague is the latest compelling Second World War historical fiction novel from author Helen Parusel. This powerful story explores themes of bravery, survival, fighting for what’s right and the power of books, set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Prague in the final three years of the war.

Helen Parusel has quickly become one of my standout authors within the genre, with both of her previous novels being definite five star reads and some of my favourites of the past couple of years (click here to read my reviews: The Austrian Bride and A Mother’s War), so I had high hopes for The Last Bookshop in Prague and it certainly did not disappoint. The narrative is fast-paced, maintained by short and snappy chapters which will grip readers from cover to cover, just like it did me.

As usual with Helen Parusel’s books, the history was impeccably researched. This book covers some really interesting aspects of Second World War history which I haven’t seen featured within historical fiction before (despite considering myself very well-read within the genre), including the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich and the events that followed including the Nazi manhunt for the assailants and the horrific Lidice and Ležáky massacres. The final chapters of the book also feature the Prague uprising, which again I’ve not seen covered in other historical fiction so it was fantastic to learn about it through Jana’s eyes.

At the heart of this story is really strong female characters, lead by Jana who was a fantastic protagonist. She was really emotionally intelligent and had brilliant character development throughout the novel into someone who was even more courageous and confident. I loved her relationships with both her dad and her grandmother (who was a strong female character in herself and a brilliant role model for Jana) and the roles they both played in the story. There are also strong female supporting characters in Jana’s friends, her fellow resistance fighter Nela, the women she helps throughout the story and the young characters of Yveta and Maddie. The male characters were brilliantly written too, including the primary Nazi antagonists who made my skin crawl every time they appeared.

There’s also a lovely historical romance element to the story which was a great addition that I really enjoyed. I think that Helen Parusel completely nailed the blend of having this romantic element whilst not letting it take away from the hard-hitting nature of the rest of the plot.

I loved the setting of the bookshop and the role books continuously played throughout the story, bringing people together in even the darkest of times. The story explores banned books, a topic it’s ridiculous is still so relevant in the 21st century, and I loved that quotes from different banned books were used as passcodes between resistance members, a detail I can’t believe I didn’t initially spot!

Overall, The Last Bookshop in Prague is yet another incredibly powerful novel from Helen Parusel, further cementing her as one of my favourite historical fiction authors of all time. This is a must-read for fans of the genre or anyone who wants to venture into the wonderful world of Second World War historical fiction.

Review: Casket Case by Lauren Evans*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format 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. This review is being posted as part of the Casket Case blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Casket Case
Author: Lauren Evans
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death, References To Car Crashes, References To Childhood Cancer, References To Death Of A Sibling, References To Death Of A Parent, References To Purity Culture/Abstinence

Rating: 

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Fade To Black / Closed Door)   

He’s almost perfect.

But he works for Death.

Nora Clanton sells caskets. It wasn't her dream job, but it's the family business. She lives in Rabbittown, a sleepy middle-of-nowhere small community, and her only friends are decades older than her. Her life is comfortable but sometimes she finds herself wanting more.

Then Garrett Bishop turns up and sweeps her off her feet. He's handsome, charming and seems to have a good (if vague) job. There is one little thing though . . . death seems to follow him and rumours never stay buried in Rabbittown.

But when Nora finds out what Garrett has been hiding and all the ghosts left in his wake, she wonders whether it is time to lay their love to rest too . . .

Casket Case is the debut novel from author Lauren Evans. This unique and heartfelt paranormal romance is set in a small and sleepy town in Alabama and is the perfect read for the upcoming spooky season.

Nora and Garrett made a really nice couple. Their meeting explores the idea of finding love in the most unexpected places and they have quite a fast-burn relationship in the early chapters of the story. There is a third-act breakup which I’m not typically a fan of but it did feel necessary for the story and was well-written, particularly with the introduction of an additional potential love interest following their breakup.

Both Nora and Garrett are in their thirties which was nice to see and generally they demonstrated a maturity that was a breath of fresh air to see within a romance novel. Nora was a fantastic protagonist whose inner conflict regarding her future was a nice addition to the story. I loved her relationship with her Grandpa – who, side note, was one of my favourite characters – and the powerful exploration of her grief.

I also liked Garrett as a MMC, particularly his confidence and maturity. The flashback chapters exploring his past, particularly with regards to his job, were really interesting and really worked to support the narrative. They actually ended up being some of my favourites in the book as they helped us to really understand the somewhat complex concept of his job. Garrett is very matter of fact, particularly with his general approach to the topic of death which I found to be something it took me a little while to get used to, actually completely mirroring Nora’s experiences. But he does also show a more emotional side which was nice to see too. If gift giving is your love language, you’ll absolutely adore the meaningful gift Garrett gives Nora for her birthday towards the end of the novel, I know it absolutely warmed my heart.

Although Casket Case is primarily a romance novel, it is also a powerful exploration of the theme of grief and how people approach the topic of death very differently. A real comfort can be taken in the idea of Garrett’s job, with the idea that nobody is alone when they die. Nora lost her parents around a year before the start of the story so her grief plays a key role in her character and the story, which was well written.

Whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers, the epilogue made me a really emotional. It was something I had predicted quite early on but I was still caught off guard by how much it captured my emotions and brought a tear to my eye in the final pages of the story. It ended the book on a really powerful note, which is testament to Lauren Evans’ fantastic writing ability.

I really liked the small-town setting of Rabbittown and it’s inhabitants. The idea of the small town everyone knows you and everything about you vibe really worked well in the story.

Overall, Casket Case is a heartfelt romance story which is an easy yet emotional read, perfect for fans of The Good Place. It’s a great debut novel from Lauren Evans and I’m excited to see what we see next from her.

Review: Look What You Made Me Do by Amy Andrews*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format 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. This review is being posted as part of the Look What You Made Me Do blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Look What You Made Me Do
Author: Amy Andrews
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  References To Attempted Rape, References To Sex Work

Rating: 

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)  

A disgraced football star, a high school in need of saving and a reunion too hot to handle

Headteacher Ella Lucas and football star Jake Prince have a very complicated history! Their mind-blowing encounter two years ago is proving impossible to forget now Jake is back, in her small town after being kicked out of the NFL.

She knew he was trouble then, but Ella has enough on her plate without having to worry about Jake Prince. Her school’s on the brink of closure, and she needs help. Then it dawns on her that maybe they can benefit each other - in more ways than one! Ella will help Jake to restore his disgraced reputation, if he can coach the football team to a winning streak. With nothing to lose, Jake reluctantly agrees....

As the school season heats up so does the inevitable chemistry between them. Far from being stuck in the past, the sparks between them are still there. And although he may look like her next mistake, Ella is determined that she will keep her hands off Mr Anti-hero even though she has an itch longing to be scratched. Because Ella's has one golden rule: this is strictly business, they are never ever getting back together....

Look What You Made Me Do is the latest romance novel from author Amy Andrews. This is a quick and steamy read, perfect for fans of a good sports romance.

This is a second-chance romance of sorts as Ella and Jake knew each other from High School and had previously had a one night stand, so fans of that trope will particularly enjoy this book. The couple had electric chemistry and the spicy scenes were incredibly well written. Three words: pool table scene. I was OBSESSED.

In addition to the romance, this book has a whole lot of heart. Ella is a school headteacher trying to save her school from closure. Her school is in a small town serving disadvantaged students and to see the growth we see in the students on the football team in particular, going from students with poor attendance and grades to standout members of the school community, was really heartwarming.

Ella was a fantastic protagonist who felt very real and relatable. Her passion for improving outcomes for her school community was admirable. I also found the storyline with Ella’s late mum to be really interesting, as was the portrayal of Ella’s complicated grief journey following her passing. Also with his own baggage, Jake was a brilliant MMC. He was a gentleman, even in the bedroom, and became a brilliant role model for the young football players he was mentoring. His backstory was really interesting and had depth to it I wasn’t expecting to see within a romcom novel, which was a really nice addition.

Look What You Made Me Do also has a wonderful cast of supporting characters. Ella’s brother Cameron was one of my favourites, particularly due to his character development over the course of the book as he finds direction in life through his newfound passion for football and gradually starts to repair his relationship with his sister. Seeing him find a much-needed male role model in Jake was really nice too. There’s also a lovely found family element to the story with Ella and her best friend Rosie finding a home and a family with Rosie’s eccentric great aunts Daisy and Iris (who, side note, were brilliant characters in themselves).

Overall, Look What You Made Me Do is a fantastic steamy romance which fans of a good sports romance will devour as quickly as I did. Although this was my first time reading anything from Amy Andrews, her writing style hooked me quickly and I can’t wait to read more from her.

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