tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64743315691354895152024-03-18T00:14:29.157+00:00YOURS CHLOEYours, Chloe is a UK lifestyle and wellness blog.Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.comBlogger420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-28709271237295221512024-03-16T07:00:00.002+00:002024-03-18T00:08:16.232+00:00Review: Tour Wars by Carla Luna*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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. </i><i style="font-size: x-small;">This review is being posted as part of the Tour Wars blog tour hosted by <a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/" target="_blank">Rachel's Random Resources</a>.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tour Wars</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Carla Luna<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Sexual Harassment, Parental Loss, References to Stalking, References to a Car Accident</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><i>Spice Level:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujbL9WD8SV8UwoTYbB9zANI9wPNA6fvZc18DpyXI2oWHpPcWt-qxBlndCzNdxyI65l-4WFMDLu7LctWslwy6EEpukPCBPi41MTN1rvuA6WV9RVeXOH00mjU1N7cYfEQQJ25sfxgiz9g8cjH3CWvuzNCgyfHiZ-bFBJw5PPs-9Oedrih2GvQjDkzL3vdY/s2000/Tour%20Wars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujbL9WD8SV8UwoTYbB9zANI9wPNA6fvZc18DpyXI2oWHpPcWt-qxBlndCzNdxyI65l-4WFMDLu7LctWslwy6EEpukPCBPi41MTN1rvuA6WV9RVeXOH00mjU1N7cYfEQQJ25sfxgiz9g8cjH3CWvuzNCgyfHiZ-bFBJw5PPs-9Oedrih2GvQjDkzL3vdY/w266-h400/Tour%20Wars.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ten days, two rivals, and a busload of tourists. How bad
could it be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For archaeologist Emilia Flores, landing a fellowship to
work at the ancient ruins of Pompeii in Italy is a dream come true. The only
catch? She’ll be digging alongside her infuriating nemesis, TJ Mayer, who’s
been a constant thorn in her side.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">TJ isn’t about to pass up the Pompeii project. Sure, he’ll
be stuck working with Emilia, but he thrives on challenging her. And he hasn’t
forgotten that secret kiss they shared at an archaeology conference last
winter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though unearthing Pompeii’s treasures might be a dream,
student debt is a nightmare that never takes a vacation. So, when TJ and Emilia
are offered a lucrative side job to lead a ten-day tour through Southern Italy,
they grudgingly agree to tackle it together.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forced to set aside their animosity and work as a team, they
forge an unexpected camaraderie. As the sparks between them ignite, their
rivalry gives way to passion, making it easy to forget their years of fierce
competition. But what happens when the tour ends and the real world steps in? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tour Wars is a rivals-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance
featuring a nerdy cinnamon roll hero, a strong-willed Latina heroine, and
plenty of hotel hijinks.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Tour Wars is the latest instalment in Carla Luna’s <i>Romancing
The Ruins</i> series. Fans of academic rivals to lovers, forced proximity and reverse
x sunshine with lots of spicy hotel scenes thrown in for good measure and all
set against a beautiful Italian southern backdrop, this is the book for you!</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Emilia and TJ were fantastic protagonists and I loved seeing
their relationship blossom from academic rivals to reluctant friends to
something more. They had great banter and really bounced off each other well. This
is quite a slow burn so you have a whole books worth of beautifully written sexual
tension before anything spicy but it was definitely worth it! The spicy scenes
felt really realistic too which is something I really look for in a romance
book.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Emilia was a fantastic FMC. She was driven, passionate and fierce
when she needed to be. TJ was the cinnamon roll MMC of absolute dreams and I fell
completely in love with him. We saw wonderful growth in both of them as the story
progressed and they spent more time together and this was lovely to see.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">We also have lots of fantastic supporting characters through
the rather quirky bunch of tour guests. I particularly loved the Golden Girls
and the brief backstory they were given.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Carla Luna’s vivid descriptions transported you to the beautiful
southern Italian setting and it was the perfect backdrop for a romance story. I
loved the snippets of history that were included in the story and finding out
more about archaeological work; the author’s passion for archaeology was clear
throughout the novel. She has a really engaging writing style and the story was
very well-paced. I was so hooked that I read the entire book in a single
sitting.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Tour Wars provides an important commentary on sexual harassment
in the workplace, particularly focusing on the experiences of women in male
dominated fields. These scenes made my blood boil, particularly seeing another
woman being complicit in the harassment, but it’s a really important topic that
it was great to see represented within the book. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Although this is the third instalment of Carla Luna’s <i>Romancing
The Ruins</i> series and the characters from the previous two books feature in minor
supporting roles, this was my first time reading anything from Carla Luna and
the story worked well as a standalone story. It has made me really keen to explore
the other books in the series though, particularly as each book focuses on a different
popular romance trope.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">If you are looking for a feel-good romance packed full of your favourite tropes and a gorgeous European setting, look no further than Tour Wars.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbaPrZ2RvTpevorORF3bkO0Y0Ip_I43yJbhiqfRrTIlo0QFFHUTUhWiukW12dUiYBmx-X2ys8iAhczdarQ85DOu6bDGz1X0TXKblKriG8scAUuIKE2BjSZxQ0l6YYEqbeLjrNeD0Cw3C6V-eYCHouAR-pFPKDNsuuReDw6qdAFhtl0fPjUsYaar8irrQ/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbaPrZ2RvTpevorORF3bkO0Y0Ip_I43yJbhiqfRrTIlo0QFFHUTUhWiukW12dUiYBmx-X2ys8iAhczdarQ85DOu6bDGz1X0TXKblKriG8scAUuIKE2BjSZxQ0l6YYEqbeLjrNeD0Cw3C6V-eYCHouAR-pFPKDNsuuReDw6qdAFhtl0fPjUsYaar8irrQ/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-39371070804272010152024-02-15T12:00:00.003+00:002024-02-16T00:10:39.808+00:00Review: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Grumpy Met Sunshine</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Charlotte Stein<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Parental Abuse, Childhood Poverty, Parental Alcoholism, Fatphobia</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><i>Spice Level:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;">🌶️</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">-</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Wucec6tq7Jbnb0NJakKecvQIIc4e1m6nLt1Fw87WzcgCm3zxY4gEslDzdu8uDBc_B2mC5sB9-sbVKZgIWDn9iSn9GFxLwL_x4-FCeKHYIUqWJ5wF9_oHezlurzZ-s24Q22C5Wnm94idcHymIo82a60a2Y14pWPXFxTDfMKHf5EEPqGsR9Ci6rWz_Coc/s537/When%20Grumpy%20Met%20Sunshine%20by%20Charlotte%20Stein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Wucec6tq7Jbnb0NJakKecvQIIc4e1m6nLt1Fw87WzcgCm3zxY4gEslDzdu8uDBc_B2mC5sB9-sbVKZgIWDn9iSn9GFxLwL_x4-FCeKHYIUqWJ5wF9_oHezlurzZ-s24Q22C5Wnm94idcHymIo82a60a2Y14pWPXFxTDfMKHf5EEPqGsR9Ci6rWz_Coc/w261-h400/When%20Grumpy%20Met%20Sunshine%20by%20Charlotte%20Stein.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="background: white;">Finding love was not the only goal . . .</span></i></b></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into
selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He
hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and
can't imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute-as-hell ghostwriter Mabel
Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every
little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his
life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span style="background: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a
budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item to satisfy a public
ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. And now they have to decide: is
their fake relationship all for show or something so real it might just give
them their fairy-tale ending?</span></i></div></span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">When Grumpy Met Sunshine is the latest novel from romance
author Charlotte Stein and the (you guessed it!) grumpy x sunshine romance
between grumpy retired footballer Alfie Harding and his sunshine-personified
memoir </span>ghostwriter Mabel Willicker.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This book is packed full of all of your favourite romance
tropes. Our grumpy x sunshine pair end up in a fake-dating scenario after Mabel
is caught by the paparazzi leaving Alfie’s house and this was really well
executed. If you like the ‘Hates Everyone But You’ and ‘Touch Her and You Die’
tropes you will LOVE Alfie Harding as a swoon-worthy MMC who was fiercely
protective over Mabel, even when they were ‘just friends’. </span>BookTok is
going to absolutely love this pair!<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The narrative is packed full of witty-banter between Mabel
and Alfie which had me laughing out loud. It did take me the first five
chapters or so to settle into the story and get used to how fast paced the
story was, particularly during conversations between Mabel and Alfie, but once
I was there I was HOOKED.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This is a slow-burn romance but boy is it worth the wait. If
you like a spicy romance with lots of sexual tension and great dirty talk, this
is the book for you. I’d rate this as a 4 out of 5 on the spice scale as there
are multiple open-door intimate scenes (and in a variety of locations – car and
kitchen counter included!).</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Mabel and Alfie were brilliant protagonists and their
relationship felt really genuine, which is not always the case with celebrity romances.
I love plus-size representation within romance books and Mabel was an absolute
queen who was unapologetically her sunshine self. Alfie was a really complex
character who I fell completely in love with. The chapters are interspersed
with extracts from articles, social media posts and press interviews which add
further detail to both our present-day story and Alfie’s backstory. It was
really interesting to see how Alfie’s famous footballer public persona differed
to his true self and this was well written. </span>The shared childhood trauma
Alfie and Mabel have was also well and respectfully written.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This book does have a HEA despite a third act breakup. I’m never
a massive fan of third act breakups, especially ones linked to miscommunication,
but it resolved itself well with a grand gesture that melted my heart.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a gorgeous romance read,
perfect for reading around Valentines Day. I’ve been absolutely hooked on Charlotte
Stein’s writing and can’t wait to read more of her books.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoWiR-DwMjE3nZRSxsUR-RuBJcr82LdNOZgptQbxjTYcuwwp0Lc8Ez5X3U_NxCNSTHjkW1-XAa3DYYqY5b2w6o9akWE_9voFQD1Kqg4Vcr0a5rsoF7BKWpzhRybC5QGusqIm1Fd2iS-cQZxRO6h0uM9mo82OaQXvjnVletP3JLkI7LVabANSvlGO-sKA/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoWiR-DwMjE3nZRSxsUR-RuBJcr82LdNOZgptQbxjTYcuwwp0Lc8Ez5X3U_NxCNSTHjkW1-XAa3DYYqY5b2w6o9akWE_9voFQD1Kqg4Vcr0a5rsoF7BKWpzhRybC5QGusqIm1Fd2iS-cQZxRO6h0uM9mo82OaQXvjnVletP3JLkI7LVabANSvlGO-sKA/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-1826983999044571152024-02-11T12:00:00.004+00:002024-02-13T00:05:01.832+00:00Review: Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Girl Abroad</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Elle Kennedy<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Absent Parent, Drugs</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> <br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><i>Spice Level:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">🌶️</span><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1SZDm-rODSqpY9hMDSpXVQXOSbn0RE27-u4jr8zcZivwACPZDE7pLO8BeLvzkY0WMYC0IP7fpUqQxA2x0ijV50b8zAihtEMKFAKi437lhsx9iusYxOBh-diO2AsjHMXX8vX6mUz4_zAE6gM0zX2NL3rtZPVtWx9bNbpgkttRrm47PxZHwOmIkUkgGTU/s1125/Girl%20Abroad%20by%20Elle%20Kennedy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1SZDm-rODSqpY9hMDSpXVQXOSbn0RE27-u4jr8zcZivwACPZDE7pLO8BeLvzkY0WMYC0IP7fpUqQxA2x0ijV50b8zAihtEMKFAKi437lhsx9iusYxOBh-diO2AsjHMXX8vX6mUz4_zAE6gM0zX2NL3rtZPVtWx9bNbpgkttRrm47PxZHwOmIkUkgGTU/w266-h400/Girl%20Abroad%20by%20Elle%20Kennedy.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><p></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">When
nineteen-year-old Abbey Bly gets the opportunity to study abroad for a year in
London, it's the perfect chance to finally slip out from under the thumb of her
beloved but overbearing retired rock star father. She's ready to be free, to
discover herself - but first off, to meet the girls she's rooming with. That
is, until she arrives at her gorgeous new flat to discover those roommates are
actually all boys. Charming, funny, insufferably attractive boys. And
off-limits, with a rule against fraternizing between housemates after unwanted
drama with the previous girl.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="text-align: start;">Abbey has never considered herself a rulebreaker. But soon,
she's lying to her father about her living situation and falling for not one,
but two men she can't have: her rugby-player roommate and a broody musician
with a girlfriend. Not to mention, her research for school has gotten her
tangled in a deeply hidden scandal of a high nobility family, surrounding her
in secrets on all sides.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="text-align: start;">If there's any hope of Abbey finding love, answers, or a
future in London, she'll have to decide which rules - and hearts - might be
worth breaking . . .</span></span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"> -</span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Girl Abroad is
the latest romance novel from <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author
Elle Kennedy. Our protagonist Abbey moves to London from Nashville for a year
studying abroad, moving into the shared house she thinks she’s sharing with four
female roommates who turn out to actually all be attractive guys. Abbey then
finds herself in a love triangle with one housemate – despite a strict no flatcest
rule – and one of their friends – despite him having a girlfriend.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This was my first
time reading anything from the author but based on other reviews it appears
this isn’t her usual style. The book largely read as a mature YA story with a
few spicy scenes thrown in.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I tend to not actually
go for the love-triangle trope but something about this book really intrigued
me and the trope did end up working quite well, definitely supported by the
focus on all three parties not expecting commitment. I was incredibly
conflicted for the majority of the book as to which MMC I wanted Abbey to end
up with but (being mindful of avoiding spoilers) she did end up making the
right choice in my eyes.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I had a real love/hate
relationship with Abbey as a protagonist. I liked the banter she had with her
flatmates and particularly her relationship with Mr Baxley the librarian (who, aside
from their demon pet cat, was my favourite character) but aside from this she
felt like a largely two-dimensional character so it was at times difficult to
see why she had half of England falling at her feet. Morally it was quite difficult
to get on board with her too as she spent half of the book preaching that she
wasn’t the kind of girl to steal another girl’s boyfriend but then went and did
it anyway, using the technicality that nothing physical happened between them whilst
he was still in a relationship.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">It did also feel
like all of the male characters were quite two dimensional also and based
around stereotypes. Jack was a blonde, tanned, muscular Australian rugby player
who spent more time shirtless than not, Jamie was a posh playboy and Nate was a
free-sprit motorbike-driving musician. They did start to explore Jack and Nate’s
characters on a deeper level as their relationships with Abbey blossomed but I
would have liked this to have been developed even further. The character I was
most disappointed with was Lee who was portrayed as your stereotypical 00s
rom-com gay best friend when he had the potential to be so much more than that,
had he been better written.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">In terms of
spice-level this is probably a low 3 out of 5. There are a couple of open-door spicier
scenes which are largely well written, but the majority of potentially good spicy
scenes, especially involving Jack, had a fade to black which was a shame. It
was disappointing that there wasn’t more of an even split of spicy scenes between
the two love interests.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I do, however,
want to praise the positive portrayal of female pleasure that we have within one
of the scenes between Abbey and Nate, one of the male love interests. During a
spicier scene, Nate actually asks Abbey “what do you need to come?”, acknowledging
that few women can climax from penetration alone and that most will require
another form of stimulation. We love respectful lovers like Nate who prioritise
their partners pleasure alongside their own and actually understand how the
female body works! This was ruined slightly later in the scene when it felt
like Abbey mocked him for saying this but this largely felt like a really
important portrayal of female pleasure.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I was disappointed
with the fact that it felt like the UK university experience hadn’t been very
well researched at all, which feels like a fundamental flaw in a book about
someone studying abroad in London. In Girl Abroad, Abbey starts her first
semester in August when UK university academic years don’t actually start until
at least mid-September. There were also language choices which were incorrect,
such as use of ‘spring break’ which isn’t a thing in the UK, we have an Easter
break. The idea of university students living in Notting Hill was also
borderline ridiculous and implied that the author’s only understanding of British
life comes from 90s and 00s British romcoms and the Taylor Swift song London
Boy. There seemed to be few other references to British culture – aside from a
few pub trips – so it just didn’t feel authentic to British student life which
was disappointing and a real missed opportunity.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I did largely like
the historical mystery element to the novel – as Abbey tries to uncover the identity
of the woman in a mysterious painting she picked up at an estate sale, as part
of her studies – and the way it mirrored the love triangle Abbey found herself in
but at times it felt like it took away from the romance plot.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, this was
a largely enjoyable read it just lacked quite a lot of the substance I was
craving. Those who want an easy romance read, especially fans of the love
triangle trope, will like this book.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8jD8nJgYopZzQ35SO_UDsE6xbvrEddmkBMOrU5z9VquQWrfjRHhfEBRDid43FZFhNnhsgoq-U198A6X1OHdn-SyXh-rtgYY31QKgLD006Ir607o1umzt5LgVX17v4UzYKgj28oOysX2MWxqDxZRm0Hu2RVZq0KqaPlOoQ_NhWwiMmpWyp_zDAUY3rbI/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8jD8nJgYopZzQ35SO_UDsE6xbvrEddmkBMOrU5z9VquQWrfjRHhfEBRDid43FZFhNnhsgoq-U198A6X1OHdn-SyXh-rtgYY31QKgLD006Ir607o1umzt5LgVX17v4UzYKgj28oOysX2MWxqDxZRm0Hu2RVZq0KqaPlOoQ_NhWwiMmpWyp_zDAUY3rbI/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></p>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-86144321892134402832024-02-07T12:00:00.001+00:002024-02-12T05:10:39.167+00:00How To Build A Calming Morning Routine When Working from Home<p style="text-align: center;">When you work from home, and therefore don't have a morning commute, it's easy for the line between home and work to be blurred. The morning routine you may have had previously can be lost to the pressure to wake up and immediately sit down at your computer. But ultimately this really isn't good for our wellbeing. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Taking the time in the morning to have a solid morning routine will not only set you up for a more positive day - and therefore a more productive day - but it will also support your overall physical and mental health.</p><p style="text-align: center;">If your intention is to curate a gentle morning routine to ease into the day with, one that helps you feel calm, centred and ready to take on the day, then you've come to the right place. In this post I wanted to outline some of the steps you can take to make your morning routine more purposeful and centred around self care. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQW4yreP03Nn2BbqW3dDch1PPw1avI3G8brN7Fbdnmx3zzymzf2FueQ9gGb9aZEkoG0o8PhE0hyphenhyphen13YzIlyf6-y7wxMT1JVG125OqW1_JJFcrx_NuEMx3OYE87j7Xn0cIWMCHqljnxZdzVzEDcenlfWd7GSuBhF-tYwxSDB-8iM5wAlB9SqiuzbRzS3VYY/s1640/How%20To%20Build%20A%20Calming%20Morning%20Routine%20When%20Working%20from%20Home.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQW4yreP03Nn2BbqW3dDch1PPw1avI3G8brN7Fbdnmx3zzymzf2FueQ9gGb9aZEkoG0o8PhE0hyphenhyphen13YzIlyf6-y7wxMT1JVG125OqW1_JJFcrx_NuEMx3OYE87j7Xn0cIWMCHqljnxZdzVzEDcenlfWd7GSuBhF-tYwxSDB-8iM5wAlB9SqiuzbRzS3VYY/w640-h360/How%20To%20Build%20A%20Calming%20Morning%20Routine%20When%20Working%20from%20Home.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Wake up gently</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">One of the best ways to begin your morning in a calm and gentle way is with a sunrise alarm clock, such as the <a href="https://www.lumie.com/products/bodyclock-shine-300" target="_blank">Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300</a>. It begins brightening thirty minutes before your alarm is due to go off and gets brighter and brighter before the alarm sounds. This wakes you up gradually which personally I've found to work wonders on my anxiety levels. Being woken up suddenly can leave me feeling so anxious and panicky but a gradual wake up combats this.<span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Let in daylight and fresh air</i></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Light is something which is really powerful in supporting a calm and positive morning routine. Open your curtains as soon as possible and - weather permitting - open the window too to let some fresh air in. I try to open the window in my home office first thing to let the fresh air circulate whilst I'm completing the rest of my morning routine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Start the day with a morning affirmation</i></span><br />Start the morning with a positive affirmation to set the tone for the day. Repeating a positive statement to yourself first thing in the morning can really help to cast away any negative thoughts and vibes you've woken up with. My affirmation can change dependent on my plans for the day but my favourite choices are "I am strong enough to throw anything today throws at me" and (quite simply) "today is going to be a good day".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Schedule in gentle movement</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Finding time in the morning to squeeze in some easy movement can have a really positive impact on how you feel starting your day. I don't know about you but I will never be one of those girls who is able to wake up at 5am and hit the gym before work, but finding ten minutes or so in the morning to complete some gentle yoga and stretching is much more manageable. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Take the time to shower, get dressed and complete your skincare routine</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Everyone who works from home has at some point been guilty of working from their pyjamas. I'll hold my hands up and admit that I was practically the president of this club until I starting making a targeted effort to get dressed everyday. But taking the time to shower, get dressed and complete your skincare and/or makeup routine will definitely help you to feel more ready to take on the working day. It also helps to define the work/life boundary that can be lost when you work from home. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Personally I have a specific dresser drawer dedicated to comfy working from home clothes. Matching loungewear sets are a fabulous way of achieving that comfy yet chic work from home look that'll leave you always camera ready for those out of the blue teams calls.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Eat a good breakfast</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">One of the benefits of working from home is that you can have a later breakfast if you're someone who needs to wait a few hours between waking up and having your first meal. But whenever you choose to eat it, it's important that you make having breakfast part of your everyday routine to really set you up for the day.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I'm not saying you need to rustle up a full English each and every morning before work by all means, but try to have something planned which you actually will want to wake up to. For me I'm quite partial to a bowl of the chocolate crunchy nut clusters or some porridge or a delicious bowl of yogurt and fruit. I know I perhaps should be advocating the most healthy breakfast choices going but I like to think that whatever makes you want to eat breakfast and fills you up for the morning is good enough. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><i>Prepare for your working day</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Although it's always tempting to jump straight into the working day, it's a good idea to take five minutes in the morning to set up your workstation to make sure it's as purposeful yet calming as possible. For me this includes setting up an essential oil diffuser (using a diffuser blend designed to enhance focus), ensuring I have a full bottle of water so I stay hydrated throughout the day, writing out my daily plan and to-do list and turning on some music. What I listen to in the morning is entirely mood dependent but I tend to go for something uplifting and positive.<span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span><br />What does your morning routine look like?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-88qnHx4caBgFFzTdTVGhqbWKsG0nJOzC5aDQohWvdEYh7de71Hva9cT4qRLIuzlbPpCKz8MvKI3YWe9Fiy2g6uTVEXdkyNpq4K4nYnEp6zwwtXGqebZSIrsZ_EhnqtkMzbKTICnb_5xnnyh1dDJ7zhJCRmDPGV3c7fk7X0xhdzKfL8WsyCc4Y5kWofA/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-88qnHx4caBgFFzTdTVGhqbWKsG0nJOzC5aDQohWvdEYh7de71Hva9cT4qRLIuzlbPpCKz8MvKI3YWe9Fiy2g6uTVEXdkyNpq4K4nYnEp6zwwtXGqebZSIrsZ_EhnqtkMzbKTICnb_5xnnyh1dDJ7zhJCRmDPGV3c7fk7X0xhdzKfL8WsyCc4Y5kWofA/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-27415247779622478272024-02-01T12:00:00.009+00:002024-02-04T05:04:11.315+00:00Review: The German Child by Catherine Hokin*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The German Child</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Catherine Hokin<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, Bombs, Child Kidnap, Forced Child Adoption</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg0THPnc_ubPl_rXLOFUVufrYcOcAx-dLVDBPkYqiShurVA3WADdpOuCHc6XxpY8Z8KU7Y4idZ-1Q0_jlObfl5F8aKT3FpNrBrJ0aHJTit5vz6fMEenJIE1ZxNTaERdMTcHvXTRmwV4rJeKHI1UEdaFO55BfypTq5Hbgrq8a9vbigH4MdcohUJ_Lcjnw/s1536/The%20German%20Child%20by%20Catherine%20Hokin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="994" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg0THPnc_ubPl_rXLOFUVufrYcOcAx-dLVDBPkYqiShurVA3WADdpOuCHc6XxpY8Z8KU7Y4idZ-1Q0_jlObfl5F8aKT3FpNrBrJ0aHJTit5vz6fMEenJIE1ZxNTaERdMTcHvXTRmwV4rJeKHI1UEdaFO55BfypTq5Hbgrq8a9vbigH4MdcohUJ_Lcjnw/w259-h400/The%20German%20Child%20by%20Catherine%20Hokin.jpg" width="259" /></a></span></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Berlin, 1944.
‘No! Not my child!’ Annaliese screams, her voice breaking as she pounds the
window uselessly. But no-one looks up as the man in the SS uniform cradles her
precious baby and strides away…<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>She lies unmoving on the threadbare cot, her throat hoarse
from long hours of screaming but her tears keep falling. Her heart has been
cleaved in two, now the Nazis have taken the only thing she has left – her
child. She is utterly powerless against them. But as Annaliese cries herself to
sleep, she makes a vow - <b>she will find her precious baby again.
Whatever it takes.<o:p></o:p></b></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i>Berlin, 1979.</i></b><i> Lawyer <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Evie </b>has come to the city to
investigate the horrifying stories of infants torn from their mothers during
the war. One of the cases is <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sebastian</b>,
whose yellowing birth certificate tells a heartbreaking tale. Evie is drawn to
this lost man, and vows to do all that she can to help him.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>But poring through old records, it is Evie who recognises
the faded photo in a newspaper article. Her heart stops as she realises <b>her
whole life has been a devastating lie – and that her and Sebastian’s pasts are
impossibly, unimaginably connected…<o:p></o:p></b></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The German Child
is the latest novel from historical fiction author Catherine Hokin.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The story is told
through a dual-timeline narrative, switching between chapters set in the USA in
1979/80 and chapters set in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War Two (WW2). In
1979/80, we follow Washington-based lawyer Evie as she </span>investigates the
Nazi Lebensborn programme<span style="background: white;"> on behalf of the newly formed </span>Office of Special
Investigations (OSI). I do find the work of the OSI and the history surrounding
the number of former Nazis and their collaborators who ended up in the United
States after the war to be truly fascinating so it was great to see this explored
through historical fiction. The chapters set in the 1940s then supplement the
information we’ve learnt through Evie’s investigating, in particular exploring
life in the Lebensborn homes and the work of the notorious Brown Sisters who
searched through villages and towns in Nazi-occupied countries looking for
Aryan-looking children to kidnap and place in the homes of loyal Nazis.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I want to split
my review into two sections, one focusing on the 1979/1980 timeline and one
focusing on the WW2 timeline as I have vastly different views on each one.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">To start with I
will discuss the WW2 timeline, which was by far my favourite part of the story.
The history was clearly</span> very well researched and the compelling writing
really captures your emotions as a reader and takes you on a heart-wrenching
journey. <span style="background: white;">Catherine
Hokin does writes antagonists incredibly well and the character of Helene was a
truly vile piece of work who made my blood boil whenever she appeared. </span>The
opening chapters set in WW2 were really powerful and hooked me into the story
so I was disappointed when this interest was lost as the story progressed, for
reasons I’ll explore below.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, the
1979/1980 timeline really let the rest of the book down for me. The chapters were
quite try and slowly paced and I found myself longing to be back in the WW2 timeline.
Evie felt quite unlikeable as a protagonist unfortunately, and don’t get me
started on her beyond infuriating behaviour when they visited East Germany. <span style="background: white;">Within this part
of the narrative, we have a blossoming romance between Evie and Sebastian and I
will say that unfortunately this was not an aspect of the book I enjoyed. Their
romance felt quite forced and out of place against the rest of the story which
did mean that it at times felt like it was taking away from the rest of the
narrative.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">At the forefront of focus
in this later timeline is a big ‘twist’<span style="background: white;"> regarding the connection between Evie and Sebastian
but I found this to be very predictable from very early on in the story, as
were many of the other twists. I did find that having predicted it so early on meant
that the shock factor which gripped other readers to the story just wasn’t
there for me unfortunately. But I will say that based on other reviews I’ve
read of The German Child I do seem to be in the minority here.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">It felt a real shame
that so much of the book focused on the 1979/1980 timeline as it would have
been better to structure the book in a way which focused on the more
interesting WW2 timeline with then supplementary chapters set in 1979/1980 as
Evie completes her investigation. Focusing so heavily on the 1979/1980 timeline
meant that <span style="background: white;">certain
aspects of the WW2 story also weren’t explored in the depth I was craving. This
is particularly true with Annaliese’s story as, despite her being implied as a main
character in the book synopsis and playing such a significant role in the plot,
we do see very little from her.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">It's been a while
since I’ve read a book I’ve had such mixed feelings about and it has taken me a
week or so to process my thoughts enough to determine a fitting star rating. I
was incredibly torn as for me the WW2 timeline gave the book real 5* potential but
the other chapters really tarnished this rating and reduced it to a 3* read.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">That being said, I
do think The German Child would be good for readers who like historical fiction
but want something different to your typical Second World War fiction books and
are interested in a read which is predominately set in the 1970s/80s.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wVbBqi3Wfch4mx1kKiQwzscN5ks9Fc9ZLoH7c3-ocjR0q_oFcCQ9aEcWvLdCvUsdg2VNmQ5lV5XA7Sw6PLMlyfh0U7kPwnGg97WpPQKeHLjOh8Yqv4STGh5xgCRHH9n7mvj_kZ_t-Vk0VPt7iMwS0HflbXqeht_QpFvyhvOq3FZOun_kt_YgBLKuPmw/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wVbBqi3Wfch4mx1kKiQwzscN5ks9Fc9ZLoH7c3-ocjR0q_oFcCQ9aEcWvLdCvUsdg2VNmQ5lV5XA7Sw6PLMlyfh0U7kPwnGg97WpPQKeHLjOh8Yqv4STGh5xgCRHH9n7mvj_kZ_t-Vk0VPt7iMwS0HflbXqeht_QpFvyhvOq3FZOun_kt_YgBLKuPmw/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><p></p>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-55296266322891605312024-02-01T12:00:00.005+00:002024-02-03T22:15:18.422+00:00Review: The Berlin Wife's Resistance by Marion Kummerow*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Berlin Wife's Resistance</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Marion Kummerow<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Antisemitism, War, Guns, Suicide Attempt</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdGBped5ttOT07Wx5we7wzW6E-FUAu2iFlDGCJkxM2oPhtFP9s71Fr0hc5I88Z9X-iaxV_yQx7uLR9w3_srUrlzfVpCoTVDVJlLlrtvMd4RuK5nWy5XAc4unoy5BgrOAHAYdIJtbZDrQJS3a6bfkg-7GeiAISPQQethxud6W6eFn_X7d7xTeaQqxrLsI/s1536/The%20Berlin%20Wife's%20Resistance%20by%20Marion%20Kummerow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1014" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdGBped5ttOT07Wx5we7wzW6E-FUAu2iFlDGCJkxM2oPhtFP9s71Fr0hc5I88Z9X-iaxV_yQx7uLR9w3_srUrlzfVpCoTVDVJlLlrtvMd4RuK5nWy5XAc4unoy5BgrOAHAYdIJtbZDrQJS3a6bfkg-7GeiAISPQQethxud6W6eFn_X7d7xTeaQqxrLsI/w264-h400/The%20Berlin%20Wife's%20Resistance%20by%20Marion%20Kummerow.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The soldier
looks her dead in the eye, his weapon raised. “You must leave now,” he warns.
But this is her last chance to save her husband, and she won’t be silenced…<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i>1943.</i></b><i> Fleeing
Germany had been <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Edith Falkenstein</b> and
her Jewish husband <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Julius</b>’s last
hope, selling their remaining precious possessions to make the gruelling
journey. But to their horror, they are turned away at the Swiss border.
Devastated, they return to the tiny Berlin apartment they share with other
Jewish families, with its peeling wallpaper and bare kitchen cupboards. It is a
world away from the heady glamour of their lives before.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Edith’s worst fears come true when Julius is brutally
arrested and imprisoned alongside thousands of other Jewish men, destined for
the camps. When she hears the news, Edith feels her heart crack wide open with
unbearable grief.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>But then she hears of women gathering outside the prison
in their hundreds—wives and mothers from every walk of life whose relatives
have also been taken. They are united by a single, desperate wish. She links
arms with the woman next to her and takes up the chant.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Standing among these brave women offers Edith a flicker of
hope. But can they really save their loved ones? And as Edith faces the lines
of German soldiers with cold savagery in their eyes, will she pay the ultimate
price for this small act of courage?</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">The Berlin Wife’s
Resistance</span></i><span style="background: white;"> is the latest powerful historical fiction novel by Marion
Kummerow and the third book in her <i>‘German Wives’</i> series. I read and
reviewed the first two books in the series <i><a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/04/review-first-spark-of-fire-by-marion.html" target="_blank">‘The Berlin Wife’ </a></i>and <i><a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/11/review-berlins-wife-choice-by-marion.html" target="_blank">‘The Berlin Wife’s Choice’ </a></i>in 2023 and rated them very highly so was eagerly
anticipating the release of <i>The Berlin Wife’s Resistance</i> and it
certainly didn’t disappoint.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">The Berlin Wife’s
Resistance</span></i><span style="background: white;"> follows on directly from the end of <i>The Berlin Wife’s
Choice</i>, opening in 1943 </span>as Edith Falkenstein and her Jewish
husband Julius try to flee Germany. Our story is told through a fantastic
fast-paced narrative, covering a much shorter time period than the earlier two
books but still packed full of action. <span style="background: white;">Marion Kummerow perfectly portrays the </span>constant
state of fear the characters would have been living in and her captivating
writing style immerses the reader into the story, capturing your emotions and leaving
you on the edge of your seat.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The <i>German
Wives</i> series is definitely a very history intensive series, with each book taking
a deep dive into the time period and covering many key events in great depth.
This is something which I really think sets Marion Kummerow’s work apart from
other historical fiction authors as there really is so much history packed into
each novel and it is all </span>clearly meticulously researched.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The primary focus of
the narrative is the<span style="background: white;"> Rosenstrasse Protest. This was a public demonstration in February
and March 1943 where thousands of the non-Jewish wives and relatives of Jewish
men and their half-Jewish </span>children staged a nonviolent protest outside
of the site where their loved ones were being held awaiting deportation. This mass
public protest received national and international attention, resulting in German
propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels ordering the release of the prisoners and largely
permitting ‘intermarried’ Jews to stay with their families.<span style="background: white;"> Although the Rosenstrasse
Protest was a really significant event in 20<sup>th</sup> century Germany history,
as the only mass public demonstration </span>against the deportation of Jews that
took place in Nazi Germany and an indication of what could have happened if
more public opposition to the Nazi regime had been voiced, it is not a topic I’ve
seen covered in Second World War historical fiction before so this was fantastic.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">One aspect of the
book I really enjoyed was the blossoming relationship between David and Roxi, a
young Roma woman introduced within this book. I would have liked this to have
been explored in more depth, as we’re largely told about their romance retrospectively
and in quite a brief way, but I’ll be interested to see how this is further
developed in the next book in the series.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, <i>The
Berlin’s Wife Resistance</i> is yet another fantastic historical fiction novel
from Marion Kummerow and a brilliant continuation of the <i>German Wives</i>
series.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/04/review-first-spark-of-fire-by-marion.html" target="_blank">Click here to read my review of the first book in Marion Kummerow's German Wives series 'The Berlin Wife' (previously published as 'The First Spark of Fire')</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/11/review-berlins-wife-choice-by-marion.html" target="_blank">Click here to read my review of the second book in Marion Kummerow's German Wives series 'The Berlin Wife's Choice'</a></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdB5RB-Cz41iJYp3qgR6LfCDfpmfL5EV6u7N0t7hvvk28vLL4FlbRaGwyLb0lAXc6l3PGxu2XI_EhnC48YVvtta2A8gkKWUM9okmbFxlzj1CWMyBc2edcYlwu-Bt1p8P3F_gwZWiPJw2M_GZ5QXlmaQ0AvRx_nO8NLwzj8ixst0ZuhRfnK2pVPcT16TRo/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdB5RB-Cz41iJYp3qgR6LfCDfpmfL5EV6u7N0t7hvvk28vLL4FlbRaGwyLb0lAXc6l3PGxu2XI_EhnC48YVvtta2A8gkKWUM9okmbFxlzj1CWMyBc2edcYlwu-Bt1p8P3F_gwZWiPJw2M_GZ5QXlmaQ0AvRx_nO8NLwzj8ixst0ZuhRfnK2pVPcT16TRo/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-35668669346661245392024-01-31T00:00:00.006+00:002024-01-31T00:24:34.128+00:00Review: I Have to Save Them by Ellie Midwood*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I Have To Save Them</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Ellie Midwood<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, Eugenics, Suicide, Suicide Attempts, Torture, Mental Health Hospitalisation, Child Death, Child Murder, Amputation, Genocide, Guns, Starvation</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50PaeH99lz342Icfvcqvl1V5xlGENnK-3xrvzGpS-ACsU22sIQlVMzbeUzTENgI8SZbB7G88MScL61ljRie3WvLI7Su6_-mdS8HiTRiMLDBBaWJUrWGHyvcDpS8EHQi4sTAVMKyw-mwtIS_HluhaSJLceqF2_jmfviBc-3lhcb2_cXGGA__zcERkPM5M/s1536/I%20Have%20to%20Save%20Them%20by%20Ellie%20Midwood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="995" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50PaeH99lz342Icfvcqvl1V5xlGENnK-3xrvzGpS-ACsU22sIQlVMzbeUzTENgI8SZbB7G88MScL61ljRie3WvLI7Su6_-mdS8HiTRiMLDBBaWJUrWGHyvcDpS8EHQi4sTAVMKyw-mwtIS_HluhaSJLceqF2_jmfviBc-3lhcb2_cXGGA__zcERkPM5M/w259-h400/I%20Have%20to%20Save%20Them%20by%20Ellie%20Midwood.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Auschwitz,
1942: Her entire body trembles as she stands in the infirmary and realises the
horrifying truth. She’s a nurse, but instead of saving her fellow inmates,
she’s about to be ordered to kill them…<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Surrounded by thick fog from the nearby forest, Orli stumbles
from the cattle truck onto the frostbitten grounds of Auschwitz. Betrayed by
her own husband for being a German resistance fighter, she has no one left in
the world, and this is now her home.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Orli breathes a sign of relief when her nursing skills
mean she’s assigned to work in the infirmary. Even in this hell on earth, she
can still try to save some lives. But when she’s instructed to assist Dr
Josef Mengele, she soon learns that he is known as The Angel of Death, and is
the most feared man in Auschwitz. At his evil hands, thousands of inmates are
cruelly killed and experimented on. And if Orli is to survive, she will have to
help him. But how can she live with herself if she sentences her fellow inmates
to death?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>As she stares into his eyes, she soon realises her
resistance work is not over. She has to stay and find a way to stop this
monster—even if that means she will pay the ultimate price.</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I Have To Save
Them is the latest novel from historical fiction author Ellie Midwood and an emotional
adaptation of the incredible true </span>story of Orli Reichert-Wald. Orli was
a political prisoner in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz-Birkenau"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Auschwitz-Birkenau</span></a>
and worked in the infirmary, using her senior position to help as many other
prisoners as possible. In <span style="background: white;">I Have To Save Them, Ellie Midwood has created a compelling and
emotional story which really honours Orli’s legacy and will mean that her story
stays with readers for a long time.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Ellie Midwood</span>
has a captivating writing style which fully immerses you into the story and makes
it therefore difficult to put the book down. She is the queen of the Second
World War historical fiction world so I was highly anticipating the release of <span style="background: white;">I Have To Save
Them and it only exceeded my (already high) expectations.</span> The narrative
perfectly captures the incredible courage and strength shown by Orli and the
woman alongside her in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz-Birkenau"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Auschwitz-Birkenau</span></a>.
Their female friendships were brilliantly written and I loved that we were able
to gain some insight into their lives after the war.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">As with all of her
books, in <span style="background: white;">I
Have To Save Them </span>Ellie Midwood definitely doesn’t shy away from featuring
the dark reality of the Holocaust and the Second World War. This creates a
gut-wrenching and haunting narrative which takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster
between sobbing, holding their breath in scenes of perfectly written tension
and smiling at the incredible strength shown by the prisoners who never gave up
despite the bleakness of their situation.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The narrative is incredibly
well-paced, primarily spanning the period of 1942-1945. There is a
dual-timeline element to the book with occasional chapters set in 1961/62 to show
the lasting impact her experiences in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz-Birkenau"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Auschwitz-Birkenau</span></a>
had on Orli as she is now an in-patient in a psychiatric hospital. These
chapters are interestingly written in second person, contrasting with the third
person narrative we see from the rest of the book. I was hesitant when I saw that
Ellie Midwood had made this unique choice when writing these chapters as writing
fiction in second person is largely a hard thing to do well but it ended up
being really impactful. Referring directly to the reader in this way made us
take on the role of the psychiatrist treating Orli in the early 60s, forcing us
to start thinking about the impossible decisions that we would make in her
care, knowing the horrors she had experienced over the course of the book.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Due to the dark
subject-matter, this story is really hard-hitting but an incredibly powerful
read which will stay with the reader for a long time. As I take my
responsibility for highlighting potentially triggering content within the books
I am reviewing very seriously, I want to signpost you to the trigger warning
list at the beginning of the review and also detail some of the particularly
graphic content themes here. We do have depictions of suicide and suicide
attempts starting in the prologue. There are also scenes depicting the horrific
human experimentation conducted by Josef Mengele in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz-Birkenau"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Auschwitz-Birkenau</span></a>,
including experiments performed on child prisoners.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, I Have
To Save Them is a powerful and incredibly gripping piece of historical fiction
which is a hard yet important must-read story.</span><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQW3BvwCftOT3j8-WVqwoO4k-Dh5Bp6gGYSSAra4JPf6rPBShIortlmZ8yKOU_WnINtMhdRTBDk47WzIjLCEY3jGmtbVcTx0yrphZC_3MHAB7SPWSon-0LbsN2LfKvDXYkUggHJ6cMJylIe5k8b6LsZL8bOPVKngS7pVZb0q24N1oCeFbaG65huaeeDi4/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQW3BvwCftOT3j8-WVqwoO4k-Dh5Bp6gGYSSAra4JPf6rPBShIortlmZ8yKOU_WnINtMhdRTBDk47WzIjLCEY3jGmtbVcTx0yrphZC_3MHAB7SPWSon-0LbsN2LfKvDXYkUggHJ6cMJylIe5k8b6LsZL8bOPVKngS7pVZb0q24N1oCeFbaG65huaeeDi4/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-104719660139639742024-01-21T00:00:00.001+00:002024-01-21T05:00:42.603+00:00Review: The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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. </i><i style="font-size: x-small;">This review is being posted as part of the The Secret Pianist blog tour hosted by <a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/" target="_blank">Rachel's Random Resources</a>.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Secret Pianist</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Andie Newton<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Guns</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1inaBohfMbVxkAsG0fHTCLCs0ftHf07kk67cW4_VeJS5UFSE5iC_8B_Vd1mJYIyxqte0JI4SnqICvBzzsrt6rbQdPiRG5WNWDVGvuEhmn3ricKe76WvXhclquutqXlNWw4SMIGKJznqdt4yioAndzYNQ91D9n-VOi1FYun7wDBQjZN8K4TyDgNb-evTw/s2327/The%20Secret%20Pianist%20by%20Andie%20Newton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2327" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1inaBohfMbVxkAsG0fHTCLCs0ftHf07kk67cW4_VeJS5UFSE5iC_8B_Vd1mJYIyxqte0JI4SnqICvBzzsrt6rbQdPiRG5WNWDVGvuEhmn3ricKe76WvXhclquutqXlNWw4SMIGKJznqdt4yioAndzYNQ91D9n-VOi1FYun7wDBQjZN8K4TyDgNb-evTw/w263-h400/The%20Secret%20Pianist%20by%20Andie%20Newton.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sisters. Traitors. Spies.</span></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When a British RAF Whitley plane comes
under fire over the French coast and is forced to drop their cargo, a spy
messenger pigeon finds its way into unlikely hands…</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The occupation has taken much from the
Cotillard sisters, and as the Germans increase their forces in the seaside town
of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Gabriella, Martine and Simone can’t escape the feeling
that the walls are closing in.</span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet, just as they should be trying to
stay under the radar, Martine’s discovery of a British messenger pigeon leads
them down a new and dangerous path. Gaby would do anything to protect her
sisters but when the pianist is forced to teach the step-daughter of a German
Commandant, and the town accuses the Cotillards of becoming ‘Bad French’ and in
allegiance with the enemy, she realizes they have to take the opportunity to
fight back that has been handed to them.</span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, as the sisters’ secrets wing their
way to an unknown contact in London, Gaby, Martine and Simone have to wonder –
have they opened a lifeline, or sealed their fate?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Secret
Pianist is the latest novel from historical fiction author Andie Newton. This
was my first time reading anything from the author but her compelling storytelling
had me hooked from the very first page and I finished the book in a single
sitting.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This engaging
story is packed full of emotional twists and turns, exploring powerful themes such
as sisterhood, </span>patriotism<span style="background: white;">, resistance, betrayal and the power of music. Andie Newton
writes suspense well and pairs this with some heartwarming moments in the story
too.</span> The history behind the book was clearly very well researched. I
particularly enjoyed the exploration of people being dubbed ‘bad French’ by
their community and how they were treated as a result, as this is a really
interesting aspect of Second World War history.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Secret
Pianist is largely told through a first-person narration from Gaby, the </span>eldest
Cotillard sister. I really loved all three sisters as characters and thought
their sisterly bond added something really special to the story. Their
contrasting personalities were fantastic and their sisterly relationship seemed
authentic and well-written. I would say that for at least the first half of the
book all three of them generally read as younger than they actually were meant
to be but they did seem to all really mature through the events of story. For all
three sisters there is also an aspect of romance to the plot and this was all
well-written.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">I found the brief
explorations of the sisters’ backstory prior to moving to Boulogne-sur-Mer
absolutely fascinating and think it really has the potential to be a powerful
prequel.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The book did
generally feel more light-hearted than many other World War Two historical
fiction works of a similar nature. But, for someone who reads this genre more
than any other, this actually felt quite refreshing as I got to enjoy the
historical aspect which avoiding the darker themes you often come across.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The
Secret Pianist is a powerful and easy read for fans of historical fiction.</span>
Anyone with an interest in the use of carrier pigeons during World War Two will
particularly enjoy this book, as will those who enjoy portrayals of strong
sisterly relationships.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierQaXjf6uohdhmVD8LkeH0bFaF66Vt0w9G8cGUFsMX4NASq1rT1faHwWRD_pYr1oftTjf_QtBjKWbM-VHRKc1qvPMuveoEWjx8g_F8-eA-GTSt9HvxpeQgP4aeMq86AwXQuB40SJH9qJKMdaWP2ABFgnsZmCf-kiTidL8W-6R3cgC5QkT_3MdC0DnReQ/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierQaXjf6uohdhmVD8LkeH0bFaF66Vt0w9G8cGUFsMX4NASq1rT1faHwWRD_pYr1oftTjf_QtBjKWbM-VHRKc1qvPMuveoEWjx8g_F8-eA-GTSt9HvxpeQgP4aeMq86AwXQuB40SJH9qJKMdaWP2ABFgnsZmCf-kiTidL8W-6R3cgC5QkT_3MdC0DnReQ/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc0qk5FdAUyJ6B5VwvCFgjWECmVolP38qOSQnI3pHgYW6i0GlXzcP676JUglinX13NWxBZlSQ1kMoIfPOV8s20h-FQYrT63mj5bwSVOHlN4aAgg9tFQAephSgJGTl2eZDurVRP6BkrkRFwSuUo8aZSseK8anZ-GA3QysA-JQGW24MuJe2icQBmFOm_Ls/s2258/The%20Secret%20Pianist%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2258" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc0qk5FdAUyJ6B5VwvCFgjWECmVolP38qOSQnI3pHgYW6i0GlXzcP676JUglinX13NWxBZlSQ1kMoIfPOV8s20h-FQYrT63mj5bwSVOHlN4aAgg9tFQAephSgJGTl2eZDurVRP6BkrkRFwSuUo8aZSseK8anZ-GA3QysA-JQGW24MuJe2icQBmFOm_Ls/w640-h354/The%20Secret%20Pianist%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-71714936339258016322024-01-14T12:00:00.002+00:002024-01-21T01:59:16.021+00:00Review: The Girl from Provence by Helen Fripp*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Girl From Provence</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Helen Fripp<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Torture, War, Guns, Antisemitism, Plane Crash, Animal Death (Dog)</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1mgLx7AGbl25oCUhh0bxQ-3-0xFv-Lr90z6S9tR87YQirLnsK4wNQxB-mPPu4i-12Ggj1D1tcespRFWcSY1gflXBaS2WFe8ql_etBlEd2ICzSqaJpXXxlidpjuoZagn46-_CC2HxqQnj08fBti2adqRfviOUZvppuPCvMszsy3kS9o9KuByOitqosio/s1536/The%20Girl%20from%20Provence%20by%20Helen%20Fripp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1011" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1mgLx7AGbl25oCUhh0bxQ-3-0xFv-Lr90z6S9tR87YQirLnsK4wNQxB-mPPu4i-12Ggj1D1tcespRFWcSY1gflXBaS2WFe8ql_etBlEd2ICzSqaJpXXxlidpjuoZagn46-_CC2HxqQnj08fBti2adqRfviOUZvppuPCvMszsy3kS9o9KuByOitqosio/w264-h400/The%20Girl%20from%20Provence%20by%20Helen%20Fripp.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>South of
France, 1942. Twenty-one-year-old Lilou</i></b><i> is selling lavender
honey in the village square when the Nazis arrive in her beloved Provence. And
when her best friend is dragged away simply for being Jewish, Lilou is
horrified. As the village begins to take sides, Lilou secretly swears through
angry sobs that she’ll sacrifice everything to fight for what’s right.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Drawn in to the French resistance, soon Lilou is smuggling
hidden messages in fresh-baked loaves of bread and meeting Allied pilots in
remote moonlit fields. She lives in fear that<b style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Kristian</b>,
a blue-eyed German soldier, knows about her work – but does he keep her secrets
because he is undercover, too?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Everything changes when Lilou is given her most important
task: to keep a frightened little boy, Eliot, hidden safe in her farmhouse. All
alone in the world, Eliot refuses to speak as he clutches his treasured
children’s book close to his chest. Inside is a beautiful story of stars,
planets and the night sky. But why is this innocent child the one, among
thousands, who Lilou must save?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>When she is told Eliot’s book will help her decipher coded
messages, Lilou knows he must have knowledge that could change the course of
the war. But the day Kristian arrives at her farm searching for hidden Jewish
families,<b style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Lilou is terrified that Eliot
is in more danger than ever…</b><o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Can Lilou trust the one person who could tear her world
apart? <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">And will she ever help Eliot find
his way home?</b></i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Girl From
Provence is the latest compelling novel from historical fiction author Helen
Fripp. It is the story of </span>Lilou, a young girl who joins the resistance
after her village is overrun by German soldiers and her best friend is arrested.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This was my
first-time reading anything from Helen Fripp but I was instantly hooked by her captivating
writing style. The narrative is well-paced and incredibly gripping. Following </span>Lilou’s
story takes the reader on an emotional journey which is equally as<span style="background: white;"> heart-warming as
it is</span> <span style="background: white;">heart-breaking
and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The vivid setting descriptions
made the lavender fields of the South of France come alive on the page and I
loved the small village setting.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Readers with an
interest in astronomy will particularly like The Girl From Provence as it plays
a key role in the plot. The story also heavily features </span>the world-renowned
children’s book <i>The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry</i> and we
have a fictional portrayal of the author as one of the supporting characters.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Lilou<span style="background: white;"> was a fantastic
strong female protagonist who was headstrong and had admirable courage and
determination to fight for what was right. I do think she read slightly younger
than 21 at times but if anything, this made her character development from
young farm girl into mature and brave resistance heroine more impactful. There
is a forbidden romance element to the story </span>through Lilou’s growing
feelings for German soldier Kristian. I thought their relationship was very
well written and it quickly became one of my favourite aspects of the story.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Marie-Madeleine
was truly incredible character whose courage and willingness to risk her own
life to fight against the occupying Nazi force was just astonishing. </span>It
was amazing to read in the author’s afterword that she was inspired by the real
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade who ran the Alliance resistance branch in occupied-France,
leading thousands of agents and supporting the work of the British Special
Operations Executive. The fictional portrayal of this incredible woman we see
in <span style="background: white;">The Girl
From Provence was a fantastic tribute and one of the standout aspects of the
book.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Eliot was another
absolutely fantastic character who had me captivated in every scene he was in.
His attitude towards adults had me chuckling throughout the book which was lovely
light relief from the darkness which naturally exists in a book set in Nazi-occupied
Europe.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I would say that there
were a few too many characters for all of them to have been featured in the
depth I was craving. Particularly in the case of some of the resistance, I would
have liked the stories of these characters to have been fleshed out a little
more. I do, however, appreciate that this may have been due to lack of page space.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">On top of this, whilst
the epilogue did tie up all loose ends, I did feel like the endings for some of
the characters lacked the depth they deserved. (<b>Spoiler alert</b>) This was particularly
the case for Kristian as, despite him playing such an important role in the
book, his ending was explored very briefly which was a shame. I would have
liked the whole ending of the story to have been given more depth as it felt
rushed in comparison with the rest of the story. For me it was this lack of
depth which moved the book from a 5* to a 4*.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The Girl
From Provence is a powerful and gripping piece of historical fiction which
is both heart-breaking and heart-warming.</span> Fans of World War Two historical
fiction, in particular female resistance heroines, will love this book.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdjmIHw0mtfZuJhxCq58v7CjWPonbXG9HnMJvKftvnmzt5BGEfcONdyj3_NOjfrtnHZiAbKQtM8ql2KO3I612pIABrR3iLQFfvBRuoZTX9lqFOWRx8-ERCZkAobGCK8Q9PpqAGUQYdja3k_KKPHZKEeVi0_FPsELpqyMoCNWm3ZzbDGjxkfKi1MCkUzM/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdjmIHw0mtfZuJhxCq58v7CjWPonbXG9HnMJvKftvnmzt5BGEfcONdyj3_NOjfrtnHZiAbKQtM8ql2KO3I612pIABrR3iLQFfvBRuoZTX9lqFOWRx8-ERCZkAobGCK8Q9PpqAGUQYdja3k_KKPHZKEeVi0_FPsELpqyMoCNWm3ZzbDGjxkfKi1MCkUzM/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-25001441113072068392024-01-11T12:00:00.004+00:002024-01-15T15:33:49.208+00:00Review: The Austrian Bride by Helen Parusel*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Austrian Bride</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Helen Parusel<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Sexual Assault, Attempted Rape, Antisemitism, War, Guns</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPaTFgzHJbkhvSZirqFePFZfUGZbW5daQyke5-MT6AyaO959iYcYQazCUHwz-BC3HybHXSRU840PUvvwoFfguTw9GRR2DBMKnVxMvuq_w2n_vzFl_XofoF2oOwSZwclgNz8-3XdPSBUuSfsB_dgtFIfypzNmwGVuVBDEBZqE6oOhTtwChlbo61ZLiYug/s1024/The%20Austrian%20Bride%20by%20Helen%20Parusel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="665" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPaTFgzHJbkhvSZirqFePFZfUGZbW5daQyke5-MT6AyaO959iYcYQazCUHwz-BC3HybHXSRU840PUvvwoFfguTw9GRR2DBMKnVxMvuq_w2n_vzFl_XofoF2oOwSZwclgNz8-3XdPSBUuSfsB_dgtFIfypzNmwGVuVBDEBZqE6oOhTtwChlbo61ZLiYug/s320/The%20Austrian%20Bride%20by%20Helen%20Parusel.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Austria 1938<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>After years of
hardship, Ella is full of hope for a better future for Austrians, and when
Hitler marches into Linz, she can’t help but become swept up in the euphoria of
her boyfriend, Max.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>But she soon
realises her mistake. When she witnesses a woman being shot in the street and a
childhood friend’s Jewish department store is closed down, she knows she must
do something.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>It’s a dangerous time to be a resistor, especially when
her fascist boyfriend proposes to her. Knowing the secrets she can uncover,
Ella enlists in a Reich Bride School, finding herself propelled into the social
elite of the Nazi circle.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Ella knows she has a duty – to her family, her friends,
and her country – so while Europe teeters on the brink of WW2, a desperate race
begins to save the people she loves. But betraying the Nazis could be her death
sentence…</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Austrian
Bride is the latest novel from historical fiction author Helen Parusel. After
reading – and loving – her </span>debut novel <i>A Mother’s War</i> last year
(<a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/06/review-mothers-war-by-helen-parusel.html" target="_blank">click here to read my review</a>), I was eagerly anticipating the release of <span style="background: white;">The Austrian
Bride and it only exceeded my expectations.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Helen </span>Parusel
has a truly captivating writing style which immerses you into the story and
makes it impossible to put the book down. She writes tension incredibly well
and leaves readers on the edge of their seats. The book captured my emotions so
intensely that I was audibly gasping, shouting and even sobbing along with the story.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The story is told
through a perfectly-paced dual POV narrative, alternating between the perspectives
of Ella and her mother Marlene. The two arcs </span>interplayed with each other
really nicely and allowed us to explore both their individual stories, particularly
with how they were each supporting resistance efforts, and also their mother/daughter
relationship. I’ve not seen a dual POV featuring a mother and daughter used
within historical fiction in this way before and it provided a unique and incredibly
powerful aspect to the story.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">As you can expect
from Helen Parusel, the story was impeccably researched and covered important
topics such as the Anschluss, Kindertransport, Reich Bride Schools and the
gradual build up to war in brilliant depth. The Austrian setting came alive on
the page and the love Helen Parusel has for the country where her mother was
born was really clear.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Ella was a
fantastically written character who made a wonderful protagonist. </span>It
was wonderful to see her gradually grow disillusioned with Nazi ideology as the
story progressed, eventually working to use her insider knowledge to help those
being persecuted. Marlene was also a brilliant and beautifully complex
character with incredible strength and courage. I really liked that the book took
the time to also explore some of the health, parental and marital struggles
which you can encounter as a middle-aged person, this really helped Marlene to
feel like a really authentic character. The Austrian Bride also has a nice
romantic aspect and I loved the blossoming relationship between Ella and Jayden.
They had some really sweet scenes and I was rooting for them from the
beginning.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Our two primary
antagonists in Max and Heinrich Steiner were both brilliantly written. Steiner
made my skin crawl whenever he appeared, he was a truly vile character but this
is credit to how well Helen Parusel can write antagonists. Max was also an
excellent antagonist and there is a great twist to his character which suddenly
explains a lot of his behaviour throughout the book. I was very proud when I
had correctly pieced it all together and predicted the twist.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The
Austrian Bride is an incredible book which has truly set the standard high for
all historical fiction which has to follow it in 2024. Helen Parusel has very quickly
become one of my favourite writers within the genre and she really is one to
watch. I will be recommending The Austrian Bride to anyone who will listen, but
especially to fans of Second World War historical fiction as this is a
must-read story.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl5bg7G05N_pgfLnH7BxwSVsdX8rsHfj0OBCsuHg8PdtWFk2UQoPPTMp05l3DfXwGIesQwNFhTc2ITyMWoDdQsvD8qGEzUV6M_69ik5jY2L7utWdzArbvhzhIpFcxql8t9Du6NrL2jqPoc66p96pXfO1LDAdh8xNGrYO2rBSmZCngZB6374BHQR8QbZU/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl5bg7G05N_pgfLnH7BxwSVsdX8rsHfj0OBCsuHg8PdtWFk2UQoPPTMp05l3DfXwGIesQwNFhTc2ITyMWoDdQsvD8qGEzUV6M_69ik5jY2L7utWdzArbvhzhIpFcxql8t9Du6NrL2jqPoc66p96pXfO1LDAdh8xNGrYO2rBSmZCngZB6374BHQR8QbZU/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-72527574515868390282024-01-07T12:00:00.002+00:002024-01-15T03:38:51.123+00:00Review: Foxden Acres by Madalyn Morgan*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">Warning: This review contains major plot spoilers.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Foxden Acres</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Madalyn Morgan<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Rape, Physical Assault, War, Bombs, Antisemitism</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui44j0XCAzmhkuNXX8_au7_njA2XGZ_9CGvvEZNVT31TJ2OxEKP4xA3Im4NrDBmWqSTjDxsH_h4NsJDn931RvFFbPJK1_Rxn8xOmUZrsjyeSslHiNo90haXpW9k3-zrqD7-h7zwqTc2UJ69welkf_x_81Lehgl3VORBdJvxMQSGOM_SWM7GUr1br7imw/s600/Foxden%20Acres%20by%20Madalyn%20Morgan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="391" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui44j0XCAzmhkuNXX8_au7_njA2XGZ_9CGvvEZNVT31TJ2OxEKP4xA3Im4NrDBmWqSTjDxsH_h4NsJDn931RvFFbPJK1_Rxn8xOmUZrsjyeSslHiNo90haXpW9k3-zrqD7-h7zwqTc2UJ69welkf_x_81Lehgl3VORBdJvxMQSGOM_SWM7GUr1br7imw/w261-h400/Foxden%20Acres%20by%20Madalyn%20Morgan.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>1939 - Bess Dudley's life is filled with
possibility. As the daughter of the groom at historic Foxden Hall, she has
worked hard to secure a sought-after teaching position in London. Then, on a
visit home for the holidays, Bess reconnects with handsome and aristocratic <b>James
Foxden</b>, whom she has loved since childhood. There’s a new spark between
them and Bess travels to London with James’s card and joy in her heart.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>The war casts a shadow over Bess's bright
future. In London, she’s confronted with the daily threat of terrifying air
raids and vicious attacks on her Jewish friends. To make matters worse, Bess's
teaching career abruptly ends around the time she discovers James is engaged to
the beautiful and wealthy Annabel Hadleigh.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Returning to Foxden Acres, Bess dedicates
herself to the war effort as a Land Girl, a far cry from the life she had
envisioned. It’s back-breaking work, but she’s surprised to find she’s becoming
friends with Annabel, despite her enduring love for James.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>In a world torn apart by violence, Bess is
forced to make an impossible decision, all while keeping a dark secret of her
own. Is her love for James worth risking everything she’s built for herself
from the ashes of her old life? And without James – without Foxden – would she
have anywhere left to call home?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Foxden Acres is
the first book </span>in the Sisters of Wartime England series from author
Madalyn Morgan. It tells the story of Bess, the eldest Dudley sister, who
leaves her teaching career in London to return home to the historic Foxden
Acres estate to manage the estate’s contribution to the war effort.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">I want to preface this
review by emphasising that <b>this review will contain major plot spoilers</b>.
Whilst I typically try to write spoiler free reviews, it has proven very difficult
for me to effectively explore the significant criticisms I have for the book without
referencing spoilers.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">To start with the
things I enjoyed about the book</span>, I liked the chapters set during
Bess’ time in London, particularly the exploration of her life living in the
boarding house. The relationship between all of the lodgers and their landlady
was lovely and had the potential to be a great book within itself. I also
really enjoyed any chapters featuring Natalie and Anton Goldman who were
fantastic characters with big hearts. The way they looked after Bess in her
time of need, despite her being a complete stranger, was fantastic and the exploration
of their lives as European Jewish refugees rebuilding their lives in London was
really interesting. The focus on the 1930s theatre industry and the running of
a popular London theatre was also interesting.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">I did also think that
the focus on the land girls and their contribution to the war effort was well
explored, despite being a little slow-paced at times. Seeing them set up a
hospital for soldiers recovering from Dunkirk was really interesting also as
was the exploration of Bess’ brother Tom’s PTSD.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, the
narrative had significant shortcomings, particularly surrounding the amount of
depth aspects of the story were explored in. Chapters frequently ended very
abruptly leaving things unanswered and the narrative repeatedly jumped forward
in time resulting in significant events within the plot not being explored at
all. An example of this would be the jump between Bess being asked to move back
to Foxden to manage its agricultural contributions to the war effort and then suddenly
being there. She later references having doubts about whether to return but her
thought process surrounding this and her subsequent move weren’t explored at
all. We also had examples of characters being mentioned in passing, so appearing
rather insignificant, then suddenly appearing to take on an important role in
the story. For example: Bess’ friend who was missing in action and then
suddenly appeared out of nowhere with no explanation.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Bess and James’ romance
was also incredibly difficult to root for, despite it being at the centre of
the narrative. Firstly, for the majority of the book there really isn’t this
deep love story at all and it’s merely the teenage fantasies of a young girl pining
for a man who is already in a relationship. And then when we do see a spark between
them there is constant miscommunication which gets incredibly tedious. I don’t
like miscommunication as a trope used within romance stories anyway but this
felt particularly ridiculous. We do eventually see them confess feelings and
start to pursue a relationship but, as Bess thinks James is engaged she is
actually conducting what she believes is an affair with the fiancé of a close
friend. This felt completely out of character, even if she had been hopelessly pining
for the man for the majority of the story, so I just couldn’t root for their relationship.
On top of this, (<b>big spoiler alert</b>) whilst I’m all for a slow burn love
story, making us wait all novel for them to get together only to kill him off
in the next chapter was ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">All of this aside
however, my primary issue with the book was the use of the rape scene which did
not feel well placed within the narrative whatsoever. I assumed when it
happened that it would play some later role in the story, such as through an
exploration of the lasting trauma Bess has as a result but this just wasn’t the
case. Aside from a very brief exploration of the days following her assault,
Bess very much carries on as normal and it’s not really mentioned again until
she’s starting a sexual relationship with James. I wondered in this moment if
we’d get the powerful exploration of Bess’ trauma that I really wanted from the
book but she practically just shrugs it off like it was nothing. This was
really disappointing and left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth for the rest
of the book. I think as an author if you are going to chose to feature a rape
or sexual assault scene within your narrative you have a responsibility to portray
it properly and with due concern to the lasting trauma an event like that can
have. Foxden Acres really did not do that and I personally think that if you’re
not going to portray topics like this properly then the plotline should have therefore
been removed from the narrative altogether.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, I was
regrettably really disappointed with this novel.</span> Whilst it did have some
strengths, and could be of interest to anyone with an interest in the history
of land girls, the significant weaknesses mean that it is a 2* read for me.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3AJQjaZnOz1IrPLrI61bsM9J13TGYLPmYKfMjEvfOKQATpzh1LLMEU5ZCxFlK1xVPYkVXE5NaoI8ekr4kZbVC97ua5SB9PD_9FCljnWboVaXylwHxj7DP7J9O2dQebGb5e1k00egt5vmYVcp2APekoDDTNmu902ogHZ04KL-fgb1s5UuGmoli8wQCEo/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3AJQjaZnOz1IrPLrI61bsM9J13TGYLPmYKfMjEvfOKQATpzh1LLMEU5ZCxFlK1xVPYkVXE5NaoI8ekr4kZbVC97ua5SB9PD_9FCljnWboVaXylwHxj7DP7J9O2dQebGb5e1k00egt5vmYVcp2APekoDDTNmu902ogHZ04KL-fgb1s5UuGmoli8wQCEo/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-40299248425421818922024-01-04T12:00:00.045+00:002024-01-08T04:54:22.267+00:00My 2024 Bookish Resolutions<p style="text-align: center;">Welcome to 2024, a brand-new year with brand new books to enjoy!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Each year I like to make a set of bookish resolutions, alongside my standard new year's resolutions, to set intentions for my reading for the year. These resolutions provide some direction for my reading, supporting the start of new reading habits and encouraging me to try new things with my reading rather than sticking to the same old books.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I like to share my resolutions in a blog post each year, both to hold myself publicly accountable and also to provide inspiration for your own bookish resolutions. If you are planning on making your own bookish resolutions for 2024, I have published an inspiration blog post sharing <a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2024/01/100-new-years-resolutions-for-book-lovers.html" target="_blank">100 New Year's Resolution Ideas For Book Lovers which I will link here</a>. You can also read my <a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/01/my-2023-bookish-resolutions.html" target="_blank">2023 Bookish Resolutions here</a> and my recent post <a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/12/reflecting.html" target="_blank">Reflecting On My 2023 Bookish Resolutions</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekduVtAL2TCeNr_bpUpBHSEq_8S9rTaDxoSfvQltPOcRtONlEjxQlW4MwX3LWd6QwGC-3x-u_pjiju0AgyLkPyI6nIhx_pjy8yeO8UhD4KDHM3mDeU2urAhrV5l27wjR6eFXP7gH_YUuquswhfYCtIqDLqmJhwvkAydMzdI7d9mx195XIG8ZtPhXHBXQ/s1640/My%20Bookish%20Resolutions.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekduVtAL2TCeNr_bpUpBHSEq_8S9rTaDxoSfvQltPOcRtONlEjxQlW4MwX3LWd6QwGC-3x-u_pjiju0AgyLkPyI6nIhx_pjy8yeO8UhD4KDHM3mDeU2urAhrV5l27wjR6eFXP7gH_YUuquswhfYCtIqDLqmJhwvkAydMzdI7d9mx195XIG8ZtPhXHBXQ/w640-h360/My%20Bookish%20Resolutions.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">So, without further ado, here are my 2024 bookish resolutions:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Read 75 books</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Last year I read 75 books, surpassing my goal of 52. In true Chloe fashion, I am in constant competition with myself and am aiming to at least reach this same total in 2024. Fingers crossed I will be able to surpass the goal again but for now I think 75 is a good goal based on my current reading habits and reading speed. </p><p style="text-align: center;">If you would like to keep track of how I am progressing towards my 2024 reading goal, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/yourschloex" target="_blank">click here to follow my goodreads page</a>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Read at least 24 books from my physical TBR</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">My physical TBR pile is getting rather ridiculous, we're talking in the hundreds. Although I'm loving reading ARCS and new releases, it has limited the amount of books I'm reading which I already own. As we're in 2024, I've set a goal of reading at least 24 of these books throughout the year.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Read at least one chapter a day</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">This is a repeated resolution from last year but it really helped me to up the amount I was reading so I'm keen to continue the habit. Reading at least a little bit every single day helped me to make excellent progress towards my reading goal and I made it part of my daily night routine to make a hot drink and settle down with a book before bed. This is something I plan to continue in 2024 which will support this resolution.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Continue to participate in book clubs</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Last year I joined two local book clubs: one general fiction book club and one sex education book club which reads non-fiction and fiction books focused on different sex education themes such as gender, sexuality, body image, sexual health, relationships and menstruation. Although I've not been able to attend every single month, I've enjoyed the sessions I have gone to so am aiming to continue this into the new year.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Continue to diversify my reading list</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">This is another repeated resolution from last year where I aimed to read more books written by BAME authors, books featuring BAME characters, books with trans and non-binary representation and books with disabled representation. Although I made really good progress with this last year, particularly with the range of representation in the books I was reading, I think this should be a resolution for every reader every year. For this reason I've put it back on my resolutions list for 2024.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Have you set any bookish resolutions for 2024?</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIVLfJWmmYgsb-DBn45IUPV3bYnYmdOMPVn5F5Rh8s-cZO_2WBrNp09-gqXLP93bVyOjK-Ep-MctImS9ANxjcG_3yz5XNsFerNAysObPoieK2uION9OH9EADJyCRuVzDuYM84RSfCAxApkXXdJOC5I6uScwLofif38Knt01VTFfcIgyGPq5tcynEP944/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIVLfJWmmYgsb-DBn45IUPV3bYnYmdOMPVn5F5Rh8s-cZO_2WBrNp09-gqXLP93bVyOjK-Ep-MctImS9ANxjcG_3yz5XNsFerNAysObPoieK2uION9OH9EADJyCRuVzDuYM84RSfCAxApkXXdJOC5I6uScwLofif38Knt01VTFfcIgyGPq5tcynEP944/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-30089579940443578162024-01-04T12:00:00.044+00:002024-01-08T04:53:51.369+00:00100 New Year's Resolution Ideas For Book Lovers<p style="text-align: center;">As we welcome in the brand-new year of 2024, it is the perfect time to make some resolutions for the year ahead.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Each year I like to make a set of bookish resolutions, alongside my standard new year's resolutions, to set intentions for my reading for the year. These resolutions provide some direction for my reading, supporting the start of new reading habits and encouraging me to try new things with my reading rather than sticking to the same old books.</p><p style="text-align: center;">To inspire you to create your own bookish resolutions for 2024, I wanted to share 100 ideas for new year's resolutions for book lovers.</p><p style="text-align: center;">If you would like a peek at my own bookish resolutions for 2024, <a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2024/01/my-2024-bookish-resolutions.html" target="_blank">click here to read my post about them</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj0LOM5o-dlKTvQLD43KE_a61mFkixLYhdU45oGwhYOQb-SobzbCObcT7bkyeW1mO3a2PuKL-xXBvgktnKoeby8S_8CePqNr8yFcDsJIQ2uC1aoAiWZMHRCbEQK_tfhJEuZgkBgasTS_dzZp07He-b3WWEZW28vWAEmP_NZkhGCdwUHlZWrd46-po7-M/s1640/Bookish%20Resolution%20Ideas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj0LOM5o-dlKTvQLD43KE_a61mFkixLYhdU45oGwhYOQb-SobzbCObcT7bkyeW1mO3a2PuKL-xXBvgktnKoeby8S_8CePqNr8yFcDsJIQ2uC1aoAiWZMHRCbEQK_tfhJEuZgkBgasTS_dzZp07He-b3WWEZW28vWAEmP_NZkhGCdwUHlZWrd46-po7-M/w640-h360/Bookish%20Resolution%20Ideas.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">General Bookish Resolutions</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-indent: -18pt;">1.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Read more books</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Never leave home without a book<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read a specific number of pages or chapters each
day<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Set and reach a realistic reading goal e.g. 25
books, 50 books, 100 books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Not compare how many books you’re reading with
how many books other people are reading<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Allow yourself to DNF a book you’re not enjoying<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read a certain number of books from your physical
TBR pile<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Spend more time reading<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->9.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more books by debut authors<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->10.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Read a new 2024 release every month<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->11.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read a book and then watch the move adaptation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->12.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Read the whole of a series<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->13.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Reread some of your favourite childhood books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->14.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more e-books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->15.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Listen to more audiobooks<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->16.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more paperbacks<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->17.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Read more hardbacks<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->18.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read a book you’ve always meant to read<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->19.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read a book written by an author from your hometown<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->20.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Read a book set in your hometown<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">Tracking Your Reading</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> 2<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">1.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Keep a reading journal</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->22.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Log all of the books you read on Goodreads,
StoryGraph or a similar app<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->23.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Log all of the books you read in a spreadsheet<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">Branch Out With Your Reading</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-indent: -18pt;">24.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Try a genre you’ve never read before</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->25.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Vary the genres you are reading more<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">26. <span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more contemporary fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->27.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more classic fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->28.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more literary fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->29.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more romance books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->30.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more historical fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->31.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more fantasy books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->32.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more magical realism books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->33.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more science fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->34.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more dystopian fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->35.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more action and adventure books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->36.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more mystery books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->37.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more new adult books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->38.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more horror books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->39.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more thriller books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->40.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more LGBTQIA+ fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">41.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more graphic novels<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">42.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more short stories/novellas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">43.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more YA fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">44.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more middle grade fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">45.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more non-fiction books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">46.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more self-help books<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">Diversify Your Reading</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> 47<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Read more books by BAME authors</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">48.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more books by LGBTQIA+ authors<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">49.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more books featuring BAME characters<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">50.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more books with LGBTQIA+ representation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->51.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more books with trans and non-binary
representation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">52.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more books with disabled representation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">53.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read more books with neurodivergent
representation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">54.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more books with diverse family types<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">55.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read more translated books<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Taking Reading Inspiration</span></span><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;"> From Other Readers</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> 56<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Read something recommended by a family member</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">57.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read something recommended by a friend<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">58.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read something recommended by a work colleague<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">59.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read something recommended by a librarian<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">60.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read something recommended by a bookshop staff
member<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->61.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read something recommended by a stranger in a
bookshop<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">62.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Read something recommended by someone on social
media<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">63.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read something recommended by a celebrity<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">64.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Read something recommended by someone on BookTok<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">65.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Read something recommended by someone on Book
Twitter<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">66.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>Read something recommended by someone on
Bookstagram<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">67. <span style="text-align: left;">Read
something from Goodreads’ </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/264.Books_That_Everyone_Should_Read_At_Least_Once" target="_blank">Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/264.Books_That_Everyone_Should_Read_At_Least_Once" target="_blank"> </a>list,
as voted by the Goodreads community</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">68. </span><span style="text-align: left;">Read
something from Goodreads’ </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1.Best_Books_Ever " target="_blank">Best Books Ever</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"> list, as voted by the
Goodreads community</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">69. Read something from Penguin's <i><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2022/05/100-must-read-classic-books" target="_blank">100 Must Read Classics</a> </i>list</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">70. Read something from Pac MacMillan's <i><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/general/must-read-books-of-all-time" target="_blank">50 Best Books Of All Time</a> </i>list</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">71. Read something from Goodreads' <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by_date/2023" target="_blank">Most Popular Books Published in 2023</a></i> list</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: large;">Connecting With Other Readers</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> 72<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Join a local book club</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">73.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start
your own book club<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">74.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Buddy
read a book with someone<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">75.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Make
more bookish friends<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">76.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Attend
an event at a local bookshop<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">77.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Attend a book festival<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">78.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start a BookTok<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">79.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start
a Bookstagram<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">80.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start
a book YouTube account<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">81.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start
a book twitter account<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">82.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start
a book threads account<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">Reviewing Books</span></p><p> 83<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Start a book blog</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">84.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start
reviewing books on Goodreads, Amazon etc<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">85.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Start reviewing ARCs through NetGalley<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">86.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Start reviewing books on social media<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;">87.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Review every book you read online<o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">Organising Your Book Collection</span></p><p> 88<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Create a database of your physical TBR list</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">89.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Donate some of your unwanted books to a charity
shop or community sharing library<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">90.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Reorganise your book collection<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;">91. Create a reading nook in your home</p><p><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; font-size: x-large;">Getting New Books</span></p><p> 92<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Support more local independent bookshops</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">93.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Buy a special edition of one of your favourite
books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">94.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Buy a kindle<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">95.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Buy some new bookmarks themed around your
favourite books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">96.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Buy more books second-hand<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->97.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Put yourself on a book buying ban<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">98.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Donate one book for every new book you buy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">99.Visit your local library more<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;">100.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Volunteer at your local library<o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">-</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p> Do you have any suggestions for other bookish resolutions you could make?</p></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_z1fa2GZitLPBsrrUM_7d7zTrhB6NyuuSc8WiWd-6eJdksNiNhaz5KIEsi3e5Jfy-SbjyonOQo96q6oasgWHgHS_AouHAkcalQweHmsj8tdt0ZhYbXLfse6Qvwf4be8DJH8OiGjT-zY_Nrs6ZbGMlsQnJk9_SRy5OrItDJ3cemgYZAwZjdUvBe3jZbQ/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_z1fa2GZitLPBsrrUM_7d7zTrhB6NyuuSc8WiWd-6eJdksNiNhaz5KIEsi3e5Jfy-SbjyonOQo96q6oasgWHgHS_AouHAkcalQweHmsj8tdt0ZhYbXLfse6Qvwf4be8DJH8OiGjT-zY_Nrs6ZbGMlsQnJk9_SRy5OrItDJ3cemgYZAwZjdUvBe3jZbQ/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-38478470212961916642024-01-03T12:00:00.004+00:002024-01-08T04:57:42.456+00:0020 Journal Prompts To Start The New Year<p style="text-align: center;">As we reach the start of a brand new year, we're presented with the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on the year gone by and start preparing for the year ahead. Journaling can be a fantastic vehicle for this reflection and today I wanted to share twenty prompts to structure your first journal entries for 2024.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Journaling has become an increasingly popular self-help practise for releasing stress and anxiety and practising mindfulness. Writing your thoughts down allows you to explore them and gain a better understanding and level of clarity. You can go old school with your journal and use a blank notebook or diary (any excuse to go stationery shopping hey), choose to type your journal entries on your computer or utilise one of the many journaling apps available on your phone.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I love the power of putting things down in black and white. When my mind is racing and my thoughts are chaotic, taking the time to put pen to paper and write them down can be a really powerful technique for making me think more rationally and calmly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFuKo8JHmnWxJM3adPEQHcXKFD3ZSYXlLBVxvF9bDtnNmxyzdFEnyaZqubF0bYRVqrsbdXEJYLdgtSHvhyJIAOPlxIr46bKZpoIuzPgmkIBieryEhtC8a8iZAffUC-ja3LW0c0zQUKcouSKV1h4_vsn9FUlJ3_7Yl369DdySNj6-Tq7nEEd7X7eZHJdU/s1640/Journaling.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFuKo8JHmnWxJM3adPEQHcXKFD3ZSYXlLBVxvF9bDtnNmxyzdFEnyaZqubF0bYRVqrsbdXEJYLdgtSHvhyJIAOPlxIr46bKZpoIuzPgmkIBieryEhtC8a8iZAffUC-ja3LW0c0zQUKcouSKV1h4_vsn9FUlJ3_7Yl369DdySNj6-Tq7nEEd7X7eZHJdU/w640-h360/Journaling.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are twenty journal prompts to get you thinking about the year ahead of us and what you'd like to get out of it:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">1. What is your intention for 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">2. What do you want to let go from your life in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">3. What are your 2024 goals and how are you going to achieve them?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">4. How do you want to better yourself in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">5. What are 10 things you're grateful for as we start 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">6. What from last year do you want to take forward with you into 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">7. How are you going to protect your energy in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">8. What will a successful 2024 look like for you?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">9. How can you cultivate more joy in your life in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">10. What do you want or need more of in life for 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">11. What can you do to make sure you're practising more self care in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">12.What are three things you can do to get out of your comfort zone in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">13. Can you improve on any of your daily habits going into 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">14. What is one event you have coming up in 2024 that you are looking forward to?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">15. What are you going to commit to in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">16. Which relationship in your life do you want to particularly invest in in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">17.What are three things you want to get better at in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">18. What are you most looking forward to in 2024 and why?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">19. What steps can you take towards becoming a more confident version of yourself in 2024?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">20. What do you want your life to look like this time next year?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you have any suggestions for other journaling prompts you could start 2024 with?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXHKu16HZ2j-4PJDoa28zn-B51GMZ0nYCkXhkjmxYCahypXhCu4Jgogj9KZ1b5H2wrxJh-Wm_tmWFJQPClXTlqDquw_YqLLPUoGEzKf6kScsSDi2Boa8T9B4IQxtVT3_kVkiyHReP3zHhxhf6Ji3I2TIbvLrTZ7f5ZPhgETQys_qbdEszSl9fDWwB4Jo/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXHKu16HZ2j-4PJDoa28zn-B51GMZ0nYCkXhkjmxYCahypXhCu4Jgogj9KZ1b5H2wrxJh-Wm_tmWFJQPClXTlqDquw_YqLLPUoGEzKf6kScsSDi2Boa8T9B4IQxtVT3_kVkiyHReP3zHhxhf6Ji3I2TIbvLrTZ7f5ZPhgETQys_qbdEszSl9fDWwB4Jo/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><p></p>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-71326506358199791002023-12-28T12:00:00.004+00:002023-12-28T12:00:00.129+00:00Reflecting On My 2023 Bookish Resolutions<p style="text-align: center;"> Way back in January, I started 2023 by setting seven bookish resolutions and sharing them in a blog post. <a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/01/my-2023-bookish-resolutions.html" target="_blank">Click here to read it.</a> Now we've reached the end of the year and that little lull between Christmas and New Year which is the perfect time to pause and reflect, I thought I'd review them and share how I've got on. </p><p style="text-align: center;">I will also be sharing my 2024 bookish resolutions in a post in the coming weeks so stay tuned!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfmPzuZ_U8jaTcXwvD5k0kIZl6KAP65qzpFpnvBTkpi9hTs4eCYytG9vFhwqXXnnQAbgwZcczFcvyMF0djyLTFAyxF22VAi4IUB1e2Vj5SqKkKoffze5DBvB0p94Sp8wdJ-qf76lOYPFuU1peBo3qZvBRQXWNDaiZ-GvyDpCZPnCnhRJ9Va-cvtxA8fI/s1600/ACS_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfmPzuZ_U8jaTcXwvD5k0kIZl6KAP65qzpFpnvBTkpi9hTs4eCYytG9vFhwqXXnnQAbgwZcczFcvyMF0djyLTFAyxF22VAi4IUB1e2Vj5SqKkKoffze5DBvB0p94Sp8wdJ-qf76lOYPFuU1peBo3qZvBRQXWNDaiZ-GvyDpCZPnCnhRJ9Va-cvtxA8fI/w640-h426/ACS_0118.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These were my 2023 bookish resolutions:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: medium;">Read 52 books</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">I am very proud to say that, for the first time ever, I have not only reached my 2023 book goal but I have also surpassed it. Although I'm hoping to squeeze an extra book or two in before we ring in 2024, to date I have read <b>72 books</b>!</p><p style="text-align: center;">One thing which has really helped me to increase the amount I am reading was reading more e-books. Prior to 2023 I was a firm member of team 'I can only read physical books' but reading more ARCs this year has meant that I've had to make a switch to e-books, all read on my iPad. I don't know what the science behind it is but I read so much quicker when reading electronically so have been able to whizz through so many extra books this year!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: medium;">Read One Chapter A Day</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">This is a goal which I have <i>mostly </i>stuck to. There have been odd days where I just haven't felt up to reading but for the majority of the year I have stuck to my aim of reading at least one chapter a day. Making a hot drink, grabbing a biscuit or two and cosying up in bed to read has become a permanent part of my daily night-time routine and this is something I plan on continuing into 2024.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: medium;">Branch Out And Explore New Genres</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">In 2023 I wanted to expand my reading repertoire and explore a range of genres, rather than sticking solely to my beloved historical fiction. After consulting my trusty StoryGraph app, I can confirm that I have read the following genres this year: romance, historical fiction, young adult, contemporary fiction, LGBTQIA+ fiction, graphic novels, thrillers, mystery, middle grade, self help and memoirs. Not a bad range! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: medium;">Diversify My Reading List</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">In this resolution I aimed to read more books written by BAME authors, books featuring BAME characters, books with trans and non-binary representation and books with disabled representation. I have succeeded in reading more books with a range of representation, and even added in an option on the right hand side of my blog for readers to sort my book reviews by different representation. But I would like to continue to diversify my reading even further in the next year particularly in regards to BAME authors and characters. If anyone has any book recommendations please let me know! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: medium;">Create A Physical TBR Database</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">My next bookish resolution was to create a database of the books I own, which can be sorted by author, genre and whether or not I have read it yet. Although it was a timely process, I completed this earlier in the year and have continued to add to it and when I've purchased new books. It's been an incredibly useful resource already for referring to when I'm out book shopping and can't remember if I already own a particular title.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Gloria Hallelujah; font-size: medium;">Publish Regular Bookish Blog Posts</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">One of my biggest goals of 2023 was to maintain a regular posting schedule here on Yours, Chloe, including posting regular bookish content. I've posted a grand total of 55 book reviews this year, definitely achieving that goal. You can find all of them in my blog archive on the right hand side of my blog.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Moving forward into 2024 I am aiming to extend my bookish blog posts outside of book reviews into other content such as monthly reading roundups and book suggestions linked to different themes.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Did you sent any bookish resolutions this year?</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5AS7mdCnZTaPA1RQHwiaQAL0QXLyGqCwgd9k0JgVQQKYIHWWIsAQOI4RxKbZgl3n8CFsUbC-fMzRdWDvFF5qpd-649JBJC21r8snD6LUKu6aWLV9T9L65r55mZpr_xjX39DbQghGEE9LDVrrxDWkoKvqSJygDec5hzsIkT3fNgk5FYiJI5-OEz_QbM8/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5AS7mdCnZTaPA1RQHwiaQAL0QXLyGqCwgd9k0JgVQQKYIHWWIsAQOI4RxKbZgl3n8CFsUbC-fMzRdWDvFF5qpd-649JBJC21r8snD6LUKu6aWLV9T9L65r55mZpr_xjX39DbQghGEE9LDVrrxDWkoKvqSJygDec5hzsIkT3fNgk5FYiJI5-OEz_QbM8/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-76986213499814841482023-12-22T12:00:00.005+00:002024-01-07T00:24:05.401+00:00Review: Christmas with the Lords by Hannah Langdon*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christmas With The Lords</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Hannah Langdon<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Holiday Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> References to a mental health breakdown</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlIkh-ZpdzPimlNdi4xUtWxHeKk48cx2gziXc9IvQiP0J9_tzG7W4B2z599t9QAsoSh7HcJ2m0_A9bZrN1d7XmjkjDrTQK_ZWm4q8levxPOcmlmaY0MGHRLEpA0c3Xc_hUB0_CZP7m9vZALIxNjoKq3oBm4PxAVA1CuBxyqYJDsH9anRM5P5AxueJ6_U/s1500/Christmas%20with%20the%20Lords%20by%20Hannah%20Langdon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="972" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlIkh-ZpdzPimlNdi4xUtWxHeKk48cx2gziXc9IvQiP0J9_tzG7W4B2z599t9QAsoSh7HcJ2m0_A9bZrN1d7XmjkjDrTQK_ZWm4q8levxPOcmlmaY0MGHRLEpA0c3Xc_hUB0_CZP7m9vZALIxNjoKq3oBm4PxAVA1CuBxyqYJDsH9anRM5P5AxueJ6_U/w259-h400/Christmas%20with%20the%20Lords%20by%20Hannah%20Langdon.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>URGENTLY WANTED: a nanny for Christmas. Seeking an
adventurous nanny to work for the aristocratic Lord family at their country
estate. Must love naughty dogs, mischievous children and have a high tolerance
for Christmas chaos. Room and board provided.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><i>Penny Windlesham is stunned when her long-term boyfriend
suddenly dumps her, leaving her with a broken heart just in time for Christmas.
At a loose end, she accepts a job as a short-term nanny to a family she’s never
met. Climbing aboard a train bound for the Dorset countryside, a tear rolls
down her cheek. Alone, working and amongst strangers… could her Christmas be
any less magical?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><i>As she crunches up the family’s frost-covered drive,
Penny’s spirits lift when she glimpses her home for the next month: an enormous
manor house, its windows glowing with firelight and festooned with twinkling
holly. And, as she settles into her role caring for the adorable Lord children,
she finds herself surrounded by a quirky cast of characters, including loveably
frazzled Spanish chef Pilar and the children’s grouchy uncle, Lando Lord.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><i>Despite Penny’s attempts to avoid him, the darkly handsome
Lando seems to be everywhere – hanging around like Scrooge amidst the happy
present-wrapping and gingerbread baking. Apparently he wasn’t always this way…
is there some secret reason he’s so cranky at Christmas?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><i>When Lando is commissioned to carve a beautiful new
Nativity scene for the local church, Penny blushingly agrees to be his model,
and a sudden spark flickers between them. But it’s not long before the past
comes knocking, and Penny discovers exactly why Lando left his old life behind…<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Christmas with the
Lords is the debut novel from Hannah Langdon. It’s a cosy festive romance which
is an easy read, perfect for fans of a cheesy Christmas Hallmark movie.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Penny was a lovely
protagonist and it’s nice to have a 30-something FMC in a festive romance. She
was wonderful with the children she was nannying for and I loved their
relationships. It was also great to see Penny really grow in self-confidence as
the novel progressed and start to see her own worth again.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">I loved the Lord
family and the chaotic energy they brought to the book. It was lovely to see Penny
find a family in the Lords as the novel progressed. Most wealthy families you
see in contemporary fiction tend to be written as a tad on the pretentious side
but the Lord family were so far from it. I’d love to return to them in a future
book in some way as I really didn’t feel ready to part with them when the book
ended. Exploring all of their family Christmas traditions made the book feel
really cosy and festive, perfect for getting you in the mood for the holiday season.
The beautiful setting of their gorgeous historic home and quaint small-village was
also perfect for a cosy festive story; it sounds like an absolutely dreamy place
to spend Christmas!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">At the heart of the
story is a grumpy x sunshine romance between the cheerful Penny and the grumpy
Lando. Fans of a true slow burn romance will love this book as you are left
waiting for most of the story for them to sort themselves out and actually get
together. However, the one thing that dropped the book from a 4* to a 3* for me
was the fact that I was really craving a few more romantic scenes between Penny
and Lando once they had got together. Although the scenes we did get were
lovely, there was just too few of them to fully satisfy me after such a slow
burn romance story. <o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">If you’re looking
for a cosy Christmas story with a slow-burn romance and lots of festive family
antics, you’ll love Christmas with the Lords. I’m definitely also excited to
see what comes next from Hannah Langdon.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYz4w0mKoDj_lS9D1lCsGUAtZkNWOYDKbaTUgupOP-pLUVOdvd8s2mXPCg_7rwI3zgoTdGgVJO1SZYF-N8BO7mXbIR8f-DxN6O29rMXqSZHFmRBI_t3I5MMoSuscA-65yn5m0FgZjnqTDZpY5eqdLIhlRldliQFlPswQJhaDZy-Diiak-bywnmgTuTLk/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYz4w0mKoDj_lS9D1lCsGUAtZkNWOYDKbaTUgupOP-pLUVOdvd8s2mXPCg_7rwI3zgoTdGgVJO1SZYF-N8BO7mXbIR8f-DxN6O29rMXqSZHFmRBI_t3I5MMoSuscA-65yn5m0FgZjnqTDZpY5eqdLIhlRldliQFlPswQJhaDZy-Diiak-bywnmgTuTLk/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-29491847013483940132023-12-17T20:28:00.007+00:002024-01-04T23:03:17.411+00:00Review: A Concert for Christmas by Helen Hawkins*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Concert For Christmas</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Helen Hawkins<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Holiday Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Car Accident, Miscarriage (Second Trimester), Bullying</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWo6WE0VkC5-KHKRgYGV1wC3SBASneMJzJN3PAFOL1cvSxTQvX0Rq6B0rghSjVJKqxO288ZJtJ6TSbEysn4WDs_zrVODnK4RRywHXY_8nTA4VKlEkY-BkAJjOlY9pAqizoVGa0UAmBQ9trts3eMPa_iyNczBqMpg0mgBg_ugFMVQSkQGZ_3WAJluAop4/s1000/A%20Concert%20For%20Christmas%20by%20Helen%20Hawkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="620" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWo6WE0VkC5-KHKRgYGV1wC3SBASneMJzJN3PAFOL1cvSxTQvX0Rq6B0rghSjVJKqxO288ZJtJ6TSbEysn4WDs_zrVODnK4RRywHXY_8nTA4VKlEkY-BkAJjOlY9pAqizoVGa0UAmBQ9trts3eMPa_iyNczBqMpg0mgBg_ugFMVQSkQGZ_3WAJluAop4/w248-h400/A%20Concert%20For%20Christmas%20by%20Helen%20Hawkins.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Schoolteacher
Sophie Lawson has fled to the Cotswold countryside after a tragic break-up and
is throwing herself into dating and organising Cranswell’s annual Christmas
concert. The festive fun is marred by the arrival of a handsome but surly
musical director, tricky pupils and concert preparations falling into disarray.
Disaster strikes, but the show must go on. Will the concert bring Christmas
harmony to Cranswell and will Sophie end the year on a high note?</i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">A Concert For
Christmas is the debut novel from author Helen Hawkins and a cos</span>y
Christmas contemporary romance set in the fictional Cotswold market town of
Cranswell. It’s an easy read which you could fly through in a day and great if
you like books with a cosy community theme.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">I want to preface
this review by saying that I did want to like this book. I always try to
support new authors and hate having to give negative feedback on a debut book where
possible. But, although it did have some strengths, I largely didn’t get on
with <span style="background: white;">A
Concert For Christmas and hope that this review explains my reasoning for this
well.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">To start with the things
I enjoyed about the book, I did really like the cosy small-town setting of Cranswell
and it was nice to meet the different inhabitants of the town. A particular shoutout
goes to my personal favourite character: the eccentric Lulu. The focus on the choir
and their Christmas concert felt lovely and festive so it was a great setup for
a cosy Christmas novel.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Sophie was a nice-enough
protagonist. She made me laugh at times and it was sweet how much she cared
about everyone around her. I liked following her day-to-day life as a primary
school teacher and thought this was a nice touch as primary schools can be
lovely – yet busy – places to work over Christmas. The trauma she has following
her miscarriage and subsequent relationship breakdown was largely well written
also. However, I was absolutely infuriated by her for dating the parent of a
child in her class. I am an ex-teacher and that is a total no-no, particularly
in the way Sophie went about it. She was over-familiar with Liam’s daughter Cassie
and it just all completely went against teacher professionalism. I also didn’t
like the relationship between Sophie and her mum. I appreciate that difficult
parent/child relationships do exist but this felt too much and it seemed
unrealistic that Sophie’s mum would run a charity supporting those who have experienced
child loss yet be completely oblivious to how Sophie was struggling.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The primary issue with
the book is Liam’s character. He treats Sophie really poorly and is blowing hot
and cold throughout the whole story so it really hard to root for their romance.
All I wanted was for Sophie to run for the hills. I appreciate that something
could be said for Liam’s untreated trauma following the death of his wife but
if anything, he needed therapy not a new girlfriend to take on the brunt of his
trauma responses. It was extremely difficult to celebrate a HEA between them
when we’d seen awful anger issues in Liam that had not been addressed.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, I did
find the narrative structure difficult to engage with also. We had frequent
chapter breaks in the middle of scenes and chapters repeatedly switched focus
between our two POVs – Sophie’s and Liam’s – and this overall just made the
narrative feel really disjointed and difficult to follow.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, this book
would be good for anyone wanting a easy-read Christmas book with a small-town
setting and community feel, but it just wasn’t for me.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7J4sbVIRuvh6p3GAr2Xt7wztXLvpEWdyRxZXTfXlm70TX2ARNuEQYY8ScbZGDz9CMTiqu68HoUBwoTxdL-Gk_ssxc6DqZbBfcZRv9b22DBcUN1Egi6dgNL7-NLy-yiAWtL1H-VFWdLgqopuIDsPSsdYyuUgsZ2KiFM82R9r8bluM439gjtnZ65JSpk0/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7J4sbVIRuvh6p3GAr2Xt7wztXLvpEWdyRxZXTfXlm70TX2ARNuEQYY8ScbZGDz9CMTiqu68HoUBwoTxdL-Gk_ssxc6DqZbBfcZRv9b22DBcUN1Egi6dgNL7-NLy-yiAWtL1H-VFWdLgqopuIDsPSsdYyuUgsZ2KiFM82R9r8bluM439gjtnZ65JSpk0/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-73661240466119131632023-12-12T18:00:00.015+00:002023-12-13T08:56:25.190+00:00Review: Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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. </i><i style="font-size: x-small;">This review is being posted as part of the Make You Mine This Christmas blog tour organised by Hodder & Stoughton.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make You Mine This Christmas</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Lizzie Huxley-Jones<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>LGBTQIA+ Romance / Holiday Romance<br /></span></span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBil8Qcyo-X75rIX2lTskjSU6FH2fl_891UB96y_icJXshIRPEVKArtTGFbuvFa9BAee5IdK_t9Xrvi6c8p19lmjxhgMc7DkCkrlrUQzfYV9IuGGE5o4uybkaQwcUmZg_y5a7qD1M1_aSW6UkrE_B-9eI1MKA-KgdZ8QN9ZPlb2Ou2ZGlGUNpHkRbQ-xk/s702/Make%20You%20Mine%20This%20Christmas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="460" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBil8Qcyo-X75rIX2lTskjSU6FH2fl_891UB96y_icJXshIRPEVKArtTGFbuvFa9BAee5IdK_t9Xrvi6c8p19lmjxhgMc7DkCkrlrUQzfYV9IuGGE5o4uybkaQwcUmZg_y5a7qD1M1_aSW6UkrE_B-9eI1MKA-KgdZ8QN9ZPlb2Ou2ZGlGUNpHkRbQ-xk/w263-h400/Make%20You%20Mine%20This%20Christmas.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">It's the golden
rule of pretending to be someone's girlfriend: </span>don't fall for their
sister<span style="text-align: start;">.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">After a
year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party: a kind
stranger, a few too many drinks and suddenly she's kissing Christopher under
the mistletoe - in front of his ex-girlfriend.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The next
day the news is out that they're apparently a couple, madly in love and coming
to Oxlea to spend the festive season with Christopher's family. But Haf doesn't
have better holiday plans and to save her new friend from embarrassment, she
agrees to pretend to be Christopher's girlfriend for Christmas.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">It has the
makings of a hilarious anecdote they'll be telling for years. Until Haf meets
Christopher's sister: the mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible Kit.
Maybe love was waiting for Haf in this quiet little town all along ...</span></i><span style="background-color: white;"> <br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br />Make You Mine
This Christmas is the latest heartwarming novel from author Lizzie Huxley-Jones
and the must-read queer rom-com of this festive season.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The plot is packed
full of all of your favourite romance tropes set against the backdrop of a
snowy UK Christmas. Although a fake dating plot is at the forefront of the story,
we also have a fantastic queer meet cute in a bookshop and the forbidden love
trope is explored through Haf’s attraction to her fake boyfriend’s sister Kit. Lizzie
Huxley-Jones has a really engaging writing style which you can just sink into
like a big hug and I read the entire book in one sitting. I just couldn’t get enough!</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I loved how much
representation we had within the story and this is really something which I
think sets Make You Mine This Christmas apart from other books. This includes
neurodivergent, disability and chronic pain rep, a curvy and body-positive FMC
and a range of LGBTQIA+ representation including characters who were non-binary,
bisexual and lesbian.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This book is
perfect if you want a really Christmas-heavy read packed full of festive cheer to
cosy up with this holiday season. It really gave off Hallmark-movie vibes with
everything from questionable Christmas jumpers and handmade decorations to kisses
under the mistletoe and a cosy community Christmas fair with real (albeit unpredictable)
reindeer.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">One of the things
which stood out within the story was how loveable and relatable all of the characters
were. Haf was a truly fantastic protagonist and, as someone who was diagnosed
as autistic in adulthood, I loved that she was written as an autistic character
whose autism had been missed but probably explained a lot of the aspects of her
character. This representation is so important and really made me feel seen so
I want to thank </span>Lizzie Huxley-Jones for including this in the story. <span style="background: white;">Haf’s
fake-boyfriend Christopher was a total sweetheart and, whilst being mindful of
avoiding spoilers where possible, I loved the journey his character went on
towards starting to advocate more for his wants and dreams rather than feeling like
he has to confirm to the expectations set of him. I honestly don’t know where
to begin with talking about how much I loved Kit’s character. I fell in love
with her the minute we met her in the bookshop and this love only grew the more
we got to know her. Her relationship with her brother felt like a really
authentic sibling relationship and, as I’ve already said, I thought her
disability and linked chronic pain were really well portrayed and some of the
best disabled representation I’ve seen in any book. The romantic and sexual
tension between Haf and Kit was well-written, as were the (<b>spoiler alert</b>)
romantic and spicier scenes when we got to them. If anything, one thing I would
have liked in way of improving the narrative was if we’d had even more stolen
romantic moments between Haf and Kit to build up their romance gradually.
Although it’s a slow burn prior to their first kiss, after that it feels like
we go from 0-100 and I would have liked a few more stolen kisses here and there
to increase the tension even further by the time we get to the spicier moments.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">We also have a
fantastic cast of supporting characters and I loved every single one of them,
from Laurel the fake boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend to the queer meet-cute obsessed
bookseller and the ever-present Bryn. Ambrose, Haf’s flatmate and best friend, had
to be my favourite though and they made me laugh out loud almost every chapter
with their witty remarks and hilarious use of twitter polls. I loved that
although Ambrose was non-binary, they weren’t defined by their gender identity and
aside from use of they/them pronouns throughout the narrative, their gender
identity was only referenced briefly and the focus was more on their other character
traits.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Overall, Make You
Mine This Christmas is a charming festive sapphic romance packed full of
Christmas spirit, witty characters, laugh-out-loud moments, cute romantic scenes
and truly incredible disabled and LGBTQIA+ representation. It’s a must-read this
Christmas.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwq7e2iOntF1YVNrT6sWL0L9VJYSg-S2Huwf1_EiqNRF5MqOsEs2by1P5l2iefNNGiIQlkoQEQOgny2h0V_wLh43euwCoSkPw7ok73NGipiRAM0gHFzuqaCe_7dHmI3AX93xyVqSvYOoWH0YATjv6Lg6NNrVYwJ293iKVZx8X2lynmrOWZE9zAAhNiqY/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwq7e2iOntF1YVNrT6sWL0L9VJYSg-S2Huwf1_EiqNRF5MqOsEs2by1P5l2iefNNGiIQlkoQEQOgny2h0V_wLh43euwCoSkPw7ok73NGipiRAM0gHFzuqaCe_7dHmI3AX93xyVqSvYOoWH0YATjv6Lg6NNrVYwJ293iKVZx8X2lynmrOWZE9zAAhNiqY/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQzckCDgMadgKXjA4c1q8rw3FvI6HIFsWqRog33RbYaURsL82-LQ6hq2LOAFTAdN0xbZWRJmqsgkIAtoi5eTKXb8qw5MpBfMu49gjsl3cn5c-4qv2QES3c2Ns7Wj9UCRu4BM1hZ0Si1mplVnJNjEEZKCb5mfQhGRsOW_x-_Yn8V1iItjDlxBr1ggDnkY/s1200/Make%20You%20Mine%20This%20Christmas%20Tour%20Banner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQzckCDgMadgKXjA4c1q8rw3FvI6HIFsWqRog33RbYaURsL82-LQ6hq2LOAFTAdN0xbZWRJmqsgkIAtoi5eTKXb8qw5MpBfMu49gjsl3cn5c-4qv2QES3c2Ns7Wj9UCRu4BM1hZ0Si1mplVnJNjEEZKCb5mfQhGRsOW_x-_Yn8V1iItjDlxBr1ggDnkY/w640-h360/Make%20You%20Mine%20This%20Christmas%20Tour%20Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-47779790246092160482023-11-26T12:00:00.001+00:002023-12-01T18:25:22.566+00:00Review: The Berlin's Wife Choice by Marion Kummerow*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Berlin's Wife Choice</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Marion Kummerow<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Violence, Guns</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KMBhooygwd9PhNiltXNKb3RSzAz1Wu6osYao3sr5o3q03nxB_WS3xvYQUPCJeBaYHDVDqqxzqcyvs6WVEDNbu85tJJDR3GuyOQqsr4pmOMuPFA5NUy4h7ZZ9860Hmjd5XEnsA2V549xSYdfdmE19krnKFZ40rA4E5QcC0g-QgkATahQxWD0mcKmz9qk/s1536/The%20Berlin%20Wife%E2%80%99s%20Choice%20by%20Marion%20Kummerow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1014" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KMBhooygwd9PhNiltXNKb3RSzAz1Wu6osYao3sr5o3q03nxB_WS3xvYQUPCJeBaYHDVDqqxzqcyvs6WVEDNbu85tJJDR3GuyOQqsr4pmOMuPFA5NUy4h7ZZ9860Hmjd5XEnsA2V549xSYdfdmE19krnKFZ40rA4E5QcC0g-QgkATahQxWD0mcKmz9qk/w264-h400/The%20Berlin%20Wife%E2%80%99s%20Choice%20by%20Marion%20Kummerow.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Berlin, 1939.
Edith Falkenstein</i></b><i> once lived a fairytale life. Falling in love
with <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Julius</b> introduced her to a
world she had only dreamed of. She wore the finest silk dresses to host parties
in their historic mansion home.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>But those days are a distant memory. Under Nazi rule, her
Jewish husband Julius has been stripped of everything. Now the couple share a
cramped apartment with other destitute families, and the priceless jewels that
once adorned Edith’s neck have been sold to buy food on the black market.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Julius was lucky to escape being imprisoned once, and
Edith knows he won’t be so fortunate a second time. The echo of boots marching
across the city is a constant reminder of the danger they face. She begs Julius
to flee the country, while they still can.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>But as war rages across Europe, the journey will be
fraught with peril. All Julius has ever wanted is to keep Edith safe. He knows
there is only one way to truly protect the woman who stole his heart all those
years ago—even if it means breaking hers.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><i>Time is running out and Edith must decide: let Julius go
or follow her heart and her husband into the danger that lies ahead…</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Berlin Wife’s
Choice is the latest compelling historical fiction novel by Marion Kummerow and
the second book in her ‘German Wives’ series. I read and reviewed the first
book in the series <i>‘The Berlin Wife’ </i>(previously published as<i> The
First Spark of Fire</i>) earlier in the year (<a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/04/review-first-spark-of-fire-by-marion.html" target="_blank">click here to read my review</a>) and
it was one of my standout historical fiction novels of the first half of 2023
so I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Berlin Wife’s Choice and it certainly
didn’t disappoint.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Our story follows
on directly from the end of <i>The Berlin Wife</i> in 1938 and takes us on a
journey through the events leading to the outbreak of war and then into the
early years of the war. One of my favourite thing about Marion Kummerow’s novels
is the way they take a deep dive into the time period in question and cover
many key events in depth. As the narrative spans a shorter timeline than was
covered in<i> The Berlin Wife</i> (which was set between 1923 and 1938) we do
see a smaller number of significant events but those which were featured, which
included The Gleiwitz Incident and the continuing introduction of antisemitic laws
in Germany, were explored well. As with the previous book, the </span>history was
all clearly meticulously researched.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">In<span style="background: white;"> The Berlin Wife’s
Choice, we continue to follow the stories of </span>Edith and Helga, two
non-Jewish women supporting their Jewish husbands (and in Helga’s case, also
her half-Jewish children) through the introduction of antisemitic laws. They
are both fantastically written characters and it is brilliant to explore this
unique perspective on the rise of antisemitism in Germany. Through Edith’s
husband Julius, who has recently been released from Sachsenhausen, we get a fantastic
portrayal of his lasting trauma following his experiences of being arrested and
spending two days in the concentration camp. We also continue to follow Edith’s
brother Joseph as he rises through the SS ranks, gaining further insight into
how indoctrinated he has been into the Nazi regime. He is extremely well written
as a truly vile character and his sense of self-importance was sickening, even
describing himself as “omnipotent” at one point.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The
Berlin’s Wife Choice is another powerful historical fiction novel from Marion
Kummerow and a fantastic new instalment of the German Wives series. The series
is a must-read for those with an interest in Second World War history and I’m
eagerly anticipating the release of the next instalment ‘The Berlin Wife’s
Resistance’ in early 2024.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.yourschloe.co.uk/2023/04/review-first-spark-of-fire-by-marion.html" target="_blank">Click here to read my review of the first book in Marion Kummerow's German Wives series 'The Berlin Wife (previously published as The First Spark of Fire'</a></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkhTT4N7B6yvdwXwGRYHA9htsD6GFKDFBAgUVEaz-8UmrT-dF7sdSECwt18hSYt9kwBg_-Ie5EA2Wa2U3DYv7WSWICpKs9UawHy5fTW39LGCiSre_s7hyphenhyphendrrwf_Jmvd2Q1pr7mk7TeIPLmyTPtrekuYyYwEDWf0H2mGBbe4ZD7qw4WEKFCL96rZfG8Ds/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkhTT4N7B6yvdwXwGRYHA9htsD6GFKDFBAgUVEaz-8UmrT-dF7sdSECwt18hSYt9kwBg_-Ie5EA2Wa2U3DYv7WSWICpKs9UawHy5fTW39LGCiSre_s7hyphenhyphendrrwf_Jmvd2Q1pr7mk7TeIPLmyTPtrekuYyYwEDWf0H2mGBbe4ZD7qw4WEKFCL96rZfG8Ds/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-43108675815667205832023-11-23T12:00:00.000+00:002023-11-24T04:12:53.197+00:00Review: The Orphans on the Train by Gill Thompson*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: x-small;">*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. </i><i style="font-size: x-small;">This review is being posted as part of the The Orphans On The Train influencer tour organised by Headline.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Orphans On The Train</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Gill Thompson<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, Death Of A Parent, Domestic Violence, Drowning, Attempted Rape, Guns</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix740SV6BmO1gOw19awkEL_UlEA3pL15hRCnjVvtt91CqoLLKgF8Ssw81xH7wEJixPeFVGYsF2QPMbwP1UnM2qnBuZ9RoXirPczmRjuyOiSsRaWT9hZpVBOWPg3WogSSfOb__e9O_MpsnO9hsbYpKLBUPx1Jd2_wbLwlLc71wIMSa1BQUmTOV0QDj22J8/s1285/The%20Orphans%20on%20the%20Train%20by%20Gill%20Thompson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="841" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix740SV6BmO1gOw19awkEL_UlEA3pL15hRCnjVvtt91CqoLLKgF8Ssw81xH7wEJixPeFVGYsF2QPMbwP1UnM2qnBuZ9RoXirPczmRjuyOiSsRaWT9hZpVBOWPg3WogSSfOb__e9O_MpsnO9hsbYpKLBUPx1Jd2_wbLwlLc71wIMSa1BQUmTOV0QDj22J8/w261-h400/The%20Orphans%20on%20the%20Train%20by%20Gill%20Thompson.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">Two orphaned girls are separated in the most heart-wrenching
way in this gripping story of loss, friendship and the need to belong, inspired
by real events.</span><b><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="background: white;">1939.</span></i></b></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">A girl with auburn hair looks anxiously out of the train
window, watching the mountains of Europe pass by. War is on the horizon at
home, and Kirsty finds herself heading to neutral Hungary to help in a school
for Jewish children. Little does she know that in leaving everything behind,
she is about to find the most precious gift of all - a true friend in school
pupil Anna.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white;">1943.</span></b></i></div></b><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white;">When the Nazis invade Budapest, Kirsty and Anna are on their
own, and Kirsty worries desperately for her Jewish friend. What lengths must
they go to in order to survive, and, when they are separated, can the guiding
light of friendship bring them back to each other?<br /><br /></span></i></div></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Orphans On The Train is the latest gripping historical
fiction novel from author Gill Thompson. It is a heart-wrenching story set in
war-torn Budapest exploring themes of love, loss, found family, resilience and healing.
The narrative is perfectly paced and had me hooked from the very first page,
making this a must-read for fans of World War Two historical fiction.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Gill Thompson has an incredible ability to craft compelling
stories which perfectly capture the emotions experienced by the characters in a
way which truly tugs on the heartstrings of every reader. I had previously read
her 2019 novel </span>The Child on Platform One so was highly anticipating the
release of <span style="background: white;">The
Orphans On The Train and this poignant and powerful story was truly worth the
wait.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The focus of The Orphans On The Train is on the horrific
experiences of Jewish people in Hungary during the Second World War. The history
of the Holocaust in Hungary tragically isn’t as widely known as that in other countries
in Central and Western Europe so it’s fantastic to see this represented within
historical fiction in such a powerful and moving way. The history was clearly
very well researched and the story is inspired by real events, with the characters
of Kirsty, Anna and Jean all based on real people and other characters such as Raoul
Wallenberg and Carl Lutz fictional depictions of real individuals who saved
thousands of Jews in Hungary during the Holocaust. The author’s afterword is a
must-read to find out more about the history behind the book. I found it truly fascinating
and it has inspired me to research the events of the story in detail and
educate myself further on what the country of Hungary went through during the war.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Kirsty was a fantastically written character who made a
wonderful protagonist. She is only fourteen years old when our story begins in
1939 and we follow her through her teenage years into early adulthood. At every
point in the story she felt authentically written as a young person in that era
of their life and it was wonderful to see her gradually mature into an
incredible courageous young woman. Anna and her brother Endre were also
brilliant characters and I thought the portrayal of Endre’s PTSD was
incredible. The friendship between Kirsty and Anna was really well written and
felt like an authentic teenage friendship. I loved that they found family in each
other when they’d both lost everyone else in their lives and the bond this
created between them. The central role swimming played in the story was also
really impactful as it was powerfully used to help the characters to gradually
heal from the tragic losses and trauma they experienced at such young ages.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The Orphans On The Train is a really powerful and moving
novel which had me truly engrossed from cover to cover to the point that I read
(and wept) through the story in a single sitting. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9jwgxI9hASlE9buz3vkFbi8-4cyYFd993kxFAC9H3EE9Wf8dmo2TUdp5eVz6SoQKyofo_pqujdbhTWdtZtZXZmQiqKUuDaZnkyU_CnOsJGaoDQrArlInujfUgNq_BSF_jPE2xJAvUFXT1l0L6bdUb0F4ICbMxCFv7VdxqpY3B8ORVT_EDhZBoYvKmys/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9jwgxI9hASlE9buz3vkFbi8-4cyYFd993kxFAC9H3EE9Wf8dmo2TUdp5eVz6SoQKyofo_pqujdbhTWdtZtZXZmQiqKUuDaZnkyU_CnOsJGaoDQrArlInujfUgNq_BSF_jPE2xJAvUFXT1l0L6bdUb0F4ICbMxCFv7VdxqpY3B8ORVT_EDhZBoYvKmys/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yWAoouFc7YTGpxTIy4Z1CebPEwzneqTP271thXbOt07XOD548QBOzlLyutlKLs_yTg6UvBixRDPjIinZ_8AmTkpnj_YoB2dhXmt9C64XWoJYwObgFCaYcJZ9rABdFzJY07A2VIi1AwxqRBRtJeQtg1eCgcL2Fyzkw1fk8c_lUaKcHhssIEbyQOU9xbI/s1754/The%20Orphans%20on%20the%20Train%20by%20Gill%20Thompson%20tour%20poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1754" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yWAoouFc7YTGpxTIy4Z1CebPEwzneqTP271thXbOt07XOD548QBOzlLyutlKLs_yTg6UvBixRDPjIinZ_8AmTkpnj_YoB2dhXmt9C64XWoJYwObgFCaYcJZ9rABdFzJY07A2VIi1AwxqRBRtJeQtg1eCgcL2Fyzkw1fk8c_lUaKcHhssIEbyQOU9xbI/w640-h453/The%20Orphans%20on%20the%20Train%20by%20Gill%20Thompson%20tour%20poster.png" width="640" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-51342108836021477092023-11-15T22:00:00.002+00:002023-11-15T22:08:50.355+00:00Review: The Tuscan Orphan by Siobhan Daiko*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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. </i><i style="font-size: x-small;">This review is being posted as part of the The Last Train From Paris blog tour hosted by <a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/" target="_blank">Rachel's Random Resources</a>.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Tuscan Orphan</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Siobhan Daiko<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, Death Of A Partner, Guns, Bombing, Torture, Sexual Assault (Forced Kiss)</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbVWm8I5qxjvWVq2SA3a7oB6xdNFlydgAYZelf2eTarMIMhzkdLGhtvRiv_HjXmlQNMkWoVmxfGMv0NyPv1MyXu12EW_UApSLA7K3DZ_5BJ1kRUzUhPK-8p2h94fhfJkMVeXnjcgzfId8Bjxo4rpoGUKmcEi9SzApsBSD7LZ3cjzEcArt9ln7QEWfpzQ/s2339/The%20Tuscan%20Orphan%20by%20Siobhan%20Daiko.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbVWm8I5qxjvWVq2SA3a7oB6xdNFlydgAYZelf2eTarMIMhzkdLGhtvRiv_HjXmlQNMkWoVmxfGMv0NyPv1MyXu12EW_UApSLA7K3DZ_5BJ1kRUzUhPK-8p2h94fhfJkMVeXnjcgzfId8Bjxo4rpoGUKmcEi9SzApsBSD7LZ3cjzEcArt9ln7QEWfpzQ/w260-h400/The%20Tuscan%20Orphan%20by%20Siobhan%20Daiko.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>1944</i></b><i> -
When an air raid strikes the hospital she’s been working in, <b>Carrie’s</b> life irrevocably changes. But
as a nurse in the middle of wartime, she has no time to grieve, as she has too
many people relying on her.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>For resistance fighter, <b>Vito</b>, nothing is more important than seeking vengeance for the
atrocities his fellow comrades have suffered. But when he liberates a convent,
finding a group of Jewish children in hiding, he suddenly has even more to
fight for.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Little <b>Mimi</b> is
injured, scared and alone. Together Carrie and Vito vow to find her parents, a
loving home. But under the shadow of war, is it wise to make promises you’re
not sure you can keep?</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Tuscan Orph</span>an is the latest captivating novel from
historical fiction author Siobhan Daiko. I was hooked from cover to cover
and completely enchanted by Carrie and Vito’s powerful story set against the
beautiful setting of Tuscany. Siobhan Daiko truly is one of the queens of World
War Two historical fiction and <span style="background: white;">The Tuscan Orph</span>an joins the list of her incredible novels
which should be read by every fan of the genre.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">In our story we get to see both Carrie’s work as a nurse in
the US army and Vito’s partisan work, including seeing how they overlapped in certain
parts of the Italian Campaign along The Gothic Line. <span style="background: white;">Maintaining the high standard we see
in all of Siobhan Daiko’s novels, the story was clearly meticulously researched
and her knowledge </span>of the Italian campaign of World War II
is truly outstanding. The Italian settings came alive on the page and it was fantastic
to travel with Carrie’s unit across Italy and see how different towns and
cities were impacted by the war. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Both the prologue and the epilogue are written from Mimi’s
POV and are the only two chapters written in first person. Bookending the main
narrative, which is written in third person, in this way shaped the novel in a
beautiful way and it was wonderful to start and end the novel focusing on the
character who gives it its name.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Both of our dual protagonists – Carrie and Vito – were
fantastically written with such depth to their characters. Carrie was a brilliant
strong female protagonist and her courage, empathy and selflessness amazed me
throughout the novel. Vito was also a fantastic character and I think we see
the most character development from him over the course of the novel as his
partisan activities, blossoming feelings for Carrie and paternal relationship with
Mimi mature him. </span>Mimi was a truly wonderful young character who was
fantastically written as a realistic child. Her resilience at such a young age
was inspirational and she brought sunshine to every page she appeared in, even
against the darkness of war-torn Italy. <span style="background: white;">We do get a blossoming romance between Carrie and
Vito and this is well-written to compliment the main narrative whilst not
taking away from the gripping, and at times hard-hitting, story of war. I’m a sucker
for any romance where he falls first and harder and this was beautifully
written. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The Tuscan Orphan is a truly fantastic piece of
World War Two fiction </span>and a story which will stay with me for a
long time. I really didn’t feel ready to part with any of the characters and
would love for Siobhan Daiko to find some way for us to return to Carrie, Vito
and little Mimi in another book.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnr_TisIiKMuTNsyuHeYtRvhcaor-czFJWCEHHcUY_CsN5FGBeKaKYmgdhhMMSS07vAq-laJOTHH7U6mv6sXM2Dcg35as143v_mqYpB70jsGATgZNYLwT9WCxmctQQHf7L8BHePfRNKD1J2-UrcOSJJVbd338Tlzgl9x8Yg17BLCfqGZQFV-LTqaRHIxM/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnr_TisIiKMuTNsyuHeYtRvhcaor-czFJWCEHHcUY_CsN5FGBeKaKYmgdhhMMSS07vAq-laJOTHH7U6mv6sXM2Dcg35as143v_mqYpB70jsGATgZNYLwT9WCxmctQQHf7L8BHePfRNKD1J2-UrcOSJJVbd338Tlzgl9x8Yg17BLCfqGZQFV-LTqaRHIxM/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLcboVW1L_MbGr1WaehRUAndMqxGajo_-6riaeW4cKXzoqPCrR26Iin6nlmGIuKS68wqJQoUERvh74kMzgXgoPW_V3gy109QHuNHXNTHDRzUIZLQj5SuBlYoWYNRymdJ2C0-IfIDxC1o-NFciq8ccKJ8jfp2hVegcGSgXDP-KEeJ83DE6c74BT5UVAJQ/s2132/The%20Tuscan%20Orphan%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="2132" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLcboVW1L_MbGr1WaehRUAndMqxGajo_-6riaeW4cKXzoqPCrR26Iin6nlmGIuKS68wqJQoUERvh74kMzgXgoPW_V3gy109QHuNHXNTHDRzUIZLQj5SuBlYoWYNRymdJ2C0-IfIDxC1o-NFciq8ccKJ8jfp2hVegcGSgXDP-KEeJ83DE6c74BT5UVAJQ/w640-h374/The%20Tuscan%20Orphan%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-72796802650078879852023-11-13T20:00:00.002+00:002023-11-13T21:34:17.768+00:00Review: The Last Train From Paris by Juliet Greenwood*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: x-small;">*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. </i><i style="font-size: x-small;">This review is being posted as part of the The Last Train From Paris blog tour hosted by <a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/" target="_blank">Rachel's Random Resources</a>.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Last Train From Paris</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Juliet Greenwood<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, Suicide, Death Of A Parent, Guns, Bombing, Murder</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN-IfQpIib1TJIgJT2lZ3wtxLwSo0UjpbzNq7DHaqkNTFJDmDDcuiLvGoAZ3iP97F4G62j6U8TUK3Pu3fS_1I1oGvc3uTcDgWHWmesSJPszu2ZVEwUdpF64kbuBd493JlJFQrqcFVyqPHL1F2dpGuO5WFtlM7evifCuU62NQtZ01Zlm4glavtRzTZCgg/s2343/The%20Last%20Train%20From%20Paris%20by%20Juliet%20Greenwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2343" data-original-width="1518" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN-IfQpIib1TJIgJT2lZ3wtxLwSo0UjpbzNq7DHaqkNTFJDmDDcuiLvGoAZ3iP97F4G62j6U8TUK3Pu3fS_1I1oGvc3uTcDgWHWmesSJPszu2ZVEwUdpF64kbuBd493JlJFQrqcFVyqPHL1F2dpGuO5WFtlM7evifCuU62NQtZ01Zlm4glavtRzTZCgg/w259-h400/The%20Last%20Train%20From%20Paris%20by%20Juliet%20Greenwood.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>For <b>Iris</b>, each visit to her mother in St Mabon’s Cove,
Cornwall has been the same – a serene escape from the city. But today, as she <b>breathes</b>
in the salt air on the doorstep of her beloved childhood home, a heavy weight
of anticipation settles over her. Iris knows she’s adopted, but any questions
about where she came from have always been shut down by her parents, who can’t
bear to revisit the past.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Now, Iris can’t stop thinking about what she’s read on the
official paperwork: <b>BABY GIRL, FRANCE, 1939 – the year war was declared with
Nazi Germany. <o:p></o:p></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>When Iris confronts her mother, she hits the same wall of pain and
resistance as whenever she mentions the war. That is, until her mother
tearfully hands her an old tin of letters, tucked neatly beside a delicate
piece of ivory wool. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Retreating to the loft, Iris steels herself to at last learn the
truth, however painful it might be. But, as she peels back each layer of
history before her, a sensation of dread grows inside her. The past is calling,
and its secrets are more intricate and tangled than Iris could ever have
imagined.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The year is 1939, and in Paris, France a young woman is about to
commit a terrible betrayal… </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Last Train From Paris is the latest compelling novel from
historical fiction author Juliet Greenwood. This was my first time reading any
of her work but her engaging writing style had me hooked from the very first
chapter and I’m now excited to sink my teeth into the rest of her books. It’s
been a while since a historical fiction book has truly made me cry but this
gut-wrenching story had me sobbing throughout.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Our story is told through a dual-timeline third-person multiple
POV narrative, alternating between Iris’ perspective in 1964 and Nora and
Sabine’s perspectives between 1938 and 1945. The two timelines work beautifully
together in progressing the story, with tension created through us learning
things in Iris’ chapters which have not played out yet in our wartime chapters.
All of the wonderful settings (including pre-war Paris, wartime Cornwall, 1960s
Cornwall, war-torn France and London at the height of the Blitz) truly came
alive on the page and the perfectly-paced narrative explores thought-provoking
themes such as sacrifice, mother-daughter relationships, love, adoption, friendship,
separation and revenge. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">All of the characters in The Last Train From Paris were
beautifully complex and our protagonists were all wonderful strong female characters
who demonstrated such tenacity and strength throughout the story. The story was
a beautiful ode to the love of both biological and adoptive mothers, with
Sabine forced to make a heartbreaking decision in the best interests of her
daughter and Nora taking on another women’s child and loving her as her own. The
primary antagonist in the story Karl Bernheim was also fantastically written and
a truly vile piece of work who made my blood boil whenever he appeared. Whilst
being mindful of avoiding spoilers, I thought the portrayal of Sabine’s husband
Emil and his gradual development into the character he becomes by the end of
the story was also really well written. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The section focusing on Nora fleeing France when Europe found
itself on the brink of war and catching the last train from Paris (hence the
book’s title) and last ferry to Dover was incredibly powerful and had me on the
edge of my seat. Juliet Greenwood explains in her author afterword that this was
based on the real experiences of her Mum who, like our character Nora, had been
studying in Paris when war broke out and was forced to hurry back to England
before the borders closed. The chapters exploring Sabine’s story as her family
were forced to flee their home on the outskirts of Paris and join the millions
of refugees travelling south with nothing more than they could carry were also
incredibly powerful and based on the true experiences of the friends and
relatives of Juliet Greenwood’s mother. Using genuine accounts as inspiration
in this way really made the story feel so authentic and helped the narrative to
perfectly capture the emotions the characters would have been feeling. </span>The
story was clearly meticulously researched to support the genuine accounts used as
history just seeped through the pages.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I found the exploration of 1930s attitudes to disability to
be a really interesting aspect of the story. The despicable Nazi eugenics
policies which saw t</span>he murder of thousands of mentally and physically
disabled children are infamous and this is explored through Sabine’s daughter
Violette who is born with a cleft lip. Sabine has to make heartbreaking decisions
to protect her daughter from the Nazi regime and this sets up our story. We also
get an exploration, albeit a brief one, of attitudes to disabled children in the
UK through Nora’s nephew and this was also really interesting.<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I would have liked each chapter heading to have detailed the
month as well as the year and location so we could track the build up to the
outbreak of war and then the progression of the war but this is a minor detail
for the history-geek in me and the only criticism I could find in an otherwise
excellent story. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The Last Train From Paris is a really powerful and
compelling piece of historical fiction and has been one of my
standout historical fiction books of 2023. It is a story which
is equally as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking and it’s truly going to stay
with me for a long time. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FNuwjSfA7NsbP7-xRVxy4gYbWoh3c_0J-PDSlfAXd567jwYTJsuB-ssX0BhRjO1ixNN0VCPxDpn89-1IjAsY89TalFdUvHeX1EqIIBwA6ztRvZSmKKqbxOmjg2AM8N1zCOMNnfNMtIQIg21ZSTlPNpQj5SQshERdETPrfIFgAOF_0ghswkh0daUWRas/s574/chloeheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FNuwjSfA7NsbP7-xRVxy4gYbWoh3c_0J-PDSlfAXd567jwYTJsuB-ssX0BhRjO1ixNN0VCPxDpn89-1IjAsY89TalFdUvHeX1EqIIBwA6ztRvZSmKKqbxOmjg2AM8N1zCOMNnfNMtIQIg21ZSTlPNpQj5SQshERdETPrfIFgAOF_0ghswkh0daUWRas/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9dj4gc7ZZO5-huTigSQyhrFUwVXVp8GVAgU7RDt1zzzX-dXMxzRvYqwBT_SWfP3m0yDOwhR7REkDN9fyasFzjv2Tn4YpzwkCH3_RGdEsr42mOtZ6Zg5bIuwfzrUGeVegA50JeXlH6Z05TP7G9G6jYocA4pSfAx3h1sidVmQPVlLouzqEFBdBJfN8rCQ/s2450/The%20Last%20Train%20From%20Paris%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2450" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9dj4gc7ZZO5-huTigSQyhrFUwVXVp8GVAgU7RDt1zzzX-dXMxzRvYqwBT_SWfP3m0yDOwhR7REkDN9fyasFzjv2Tn4YpzwkCH3_RGdEsr42mOtZ6Zg5bIuwfzrUGeVegA50JeXlH6Z05TP7G9G6jYocA4pSfAx3h1sidVmQPVlLouzqEFBdBJfN8rCQ/w640-h326/The%20Last%20Train%20From%20Paris%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-34969787280253145262023-11-10T12:00:00.002+00:002023-11-16T00:55:33.172+00:00Review: Holiday Star by Melissa Dymond*<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Holiday Star</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Melissa Dymond<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Holiday Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Death Of A Parent, Alcoholism, Car Accident</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN00XNrIJIZH7JHcmo_zrRcfRJ_hTJmgTAZx3ZRmFukbPas9dKpAlofVZ7vLDpPmjDhBmHx53jiB1EeylbJ42gzwjOqX5KPtW4Khz-_vEKJIMQegXL6ZvYfdd8IaGsgfIqx6BcF03RRHgbo1hAggZIY9b684AM0jLu6mLtp4Sv5qCh0aQJeUeBB56EuBQ/s1447/Holiday%20Star%20By%20Melissa%20Dymond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1447" data-original-width="965" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN00XNrIJIZH7JHcmo_zrRcfRJ_hTJmgTAZx3ZRmFukbPas9dKpAlofVZ7vLDpPmjDhBmHx53jiB1EeylbJ42gzwjOqX5KPtW4Khz-_vEKJIMQegXL6ZvYfdd8IaGsgfIqx6BcF03RRHgbo1hAggZIY9b684AM0jLu6mLtp4Sv5qCh0aQJeUeBB56EuBQ/w266-h400/Holiday%20Star%20By%20Melissa%20Dymond.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>One doctor. One movie star. One house. One month until
Christmas. What could go wrong?<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dr. Gwen Wright is having a not-so-merry
Christmas. For the month of December, she’s alone, house-sitting for her
mother and new stepfather.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Her surgically precise world gets a plot twist when Caleb
Lawson—world-famous movie star on the run from the paparazzi and his
secrets—crash lands in her kitchen.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Besides being a Hollywood heartthrob, Caleb is also her
stepdad’s nephew. He thinks he has as much right to stay in the house as she
does, but as far as Gwen’s concerned, she’s the landlord and he’s the
squatter.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>The more they are forced to share the small space, the
more Gwen is drawn to the moody celebrity. Sure, sometimes he can be a Grinch,
but when Caleb finally touches Gwen, it makes her jingle bells ring.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>But the future looms like a foggy Christmas Eve. With no
red-nosed reindeer to guide them, can Gwen and Caleb overcome their
differences? After all, she’s ordinary, and he’s… a star.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Holiday Star is a forced proximity celebrity romance set at
Christmas from author Melissa Dymond. It was an easy page-turning heartwarming
read which I just sank into. It reminds me of a grown-up version of the early
2010s Disney movie Starstruck which provided a lovely bit of nostalgia for me
as someone who was in my early teens when it came out. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Caleb is a totally swoon-worthy MMC. I’m not surprised he swept
Gwen off her feet because he did the same to me. Gwen and Caleb had undeniable chemistry
which was really well written and there was witty banter between the two of
them. The spicy scenes were well-written and HOT. The build up to their relationship
was also well-written and it was a joy to slowly see them start to fall for
each other as Gwen gets to know Caleb and see the man behind the celebrity
persona. Gwen was a wonderful protagonist who was so likeable and we love a
woman in STEM! We also have some fantastic supporting characters and I particularly
loved Alvina, Gwen’s friend.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Holiday Star has been published in two variations: one spicy
open-door version and one clean closed-door version. I read the spicy edition
which contains graphic sex scenes and explicit language but the clean version
contains only kissing and no explicit language. I love Melissa Dymond’s
commitment to making her books accessible to all readers in this way and
personally think we should see more of this in the world of romance novels so
that every reader is comfortable.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The book does also tackle some difficult subjects very well. We
have good mental health representation through Gwen’s experience of panic
attacks. There is also a good portrayal of Caleb’s alcoholism and the treatment
he receives.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">My one potential criticism is how much of the novel takes
place after the festive period as, for a book marketed as a holiday read, I
just needed a bit more Christmas spirit. Whilst the first half of the novel is
set around the holidays and we have a brief closing chapter set at Christmas
the following year, the majority of the second half of the book is set outside
of the festive months. Whilst I recognise the importance the non-holiday chapters
played within the progression of the story, it would have been nicer for the
second set of Christmas scenes to have been that bit longer so we could pack more
festive magic into the book and really sandwich the novel with holiday scenes.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Holiday Star is a heartwarming, fun modern romance which is
the perfect easy festive read for fans of celebrity romance novels or the
forced proximity trope. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V1u9Gak7L2nJvzUg8vs2-Wbbwjxq3szgkAo9eb3wQlRN0KiUmLLhAlQoW4lchsI4PHCKtxRksK93bGCFvLWABYN9j9fr8EG-gSxbbpXu50QCnOjLIaedahCKfIrWZ9LWKkPLr3DRy_-GSV2mqrNt2NYQztTsSuW2snVpgsRge5EQiDl2BzUkeJrIui0/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V1u9Gak7L2nJvzUg8vs2-Wbbwjxq3szgkAo9eb3wQlRN0KiUmLLhAlQoW4lchsI4PHCKtxRksK93bGCFvLWABYN9j9fr8EG-gSxbbpXu50QCnOjLIaedahCKfIrWZ9LWKkPLr3DRy_-GSV2mqrNt2NYQztTsSuW2snVpgsRge5EQiDl2BzUkeJrIui0/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-14410462633756761752023-11-05T12:00:00.023+00:002023-11-06T04:06:03.397+00:00Review: One Sweet Holiday by Lucy Day*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">One Sweet Holiday</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Lucy Day<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Holiday Romance</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> Death of a Family Member, Emotional Abuse</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMCFwCHbyrfto3algoZqY3UQkNtFNSSAr4P1fAzz0s1HKxHAY9p-CqCmuKtn-ZQU162HNER_jxUgn3pMJG49jtLbnSy36R27PXs3mftkjhqNlOwhqi2hS5t_qed8_X2M-19RJR9gq-e3zgwRke8bI2_0F7G2tsFkRO-EdXTxLhPWQYn14PTuQkODOfhw/s1523/One%20Sweet%20Holiday%20by%20Lucy%20Day.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMCFwCHbyrfto3algoZqY3UQkNtFNSSAr4P1fAzz0s1HKxHAY9p-CqCmuKtn-ZQU162HNER_jxUgn3pMJG49jtLbnSy36R27PXs3mftkjhqNlOwhqi2hS5t_qed8_X2M-19RJR9gq-e3zgwRke8bI2_0F7G2tsFkRO-EdXTxLhPWQYn14PTuQkODOfhw/w263-h400/One%20Sweet%20Holiday%20by%20Lucy%20Day.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>It’s the most
wonderful time of the year…unless you’re me.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hold the hayrides,
keep your cocoa, and don’t put me within a country mile of mistletoe. This
year, Christmas means chaos. My sister’s getting married and I—Gwen Griffin, perfectionist
extraordinaire—will make sure her wedding is flawless. That includes doing the
impossible: finding myself a wedding date. But in my tiny hometown of Jasmine
Falls, South Carolina, I’ll have better luck winning the lottery.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>I may be awesome
at running my cafe, but I’m terrible at men. And after my last epic breakup,
everyone in town knows it. That’s why I need a plus-one—even a fake one—so that
when my sister gets married, everyone’s attention is on her, where it belongs.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>The guy next door
is perfect for the job. Gorgeous and charming, Logan Fyfe is only here for a
few weeks. He’s also a hot Scottish bazillionaire who’s totally out of my
league—so my risk of falling into a relationship with him? Less than zero.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pretending to date
Logan is the perfect plan—until it isn’t. Beneath his devilish smirk and
delicious brogue is a big-hearted man who makes me feel the one thing I never
believed to be true—that I’m enough, just the way I am.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>With the wedding
approaching, there’s nothing fake about my feelings anymore. When he slips his
arm around my waist and whispers into my ear? Yeah, I’m a goner.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>We may be worlds
apart, but I’m done pretending. It’s time to get real…even if it means risking
my heart.</i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">One Sweet Holiday
is a new cute small-town festive romance novel from author Lucy Day. It’s the latest
instalment in her Jasmine Falls Love Stories series but each book can be read
as a standalone and has a guaranteed happily ever after. This was my first
festive read of 2023 and boy has it got me in the Christmas spirit!</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Our story is told
through a dual POV and this worked so well in the story. I loved seeing instant
attraction experienced by both Gwen and Logan and explored in their respective chapters.
I also loved the banter between the two of them. The forced proximity was explored
in a different way to the typical bed/room/house sharing that you might typically
see through Logan moving next door to Gwen and this really made the story feel more realistic.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">One of the things
that I think sets One Sweet Holiday apart from other romance novels is the fact
that the characters aren’t who you might typically see in this genre. Both protagonists
are in their 30s and this makes their relationship feel so much more mature. On
top of this, Gwen was the curvy queen that I’ve always wanted in a festive
romance protagonist. I loved that the book celebrated body positivity by acknowledging
her size and it being one of the things that attracted Logan to her. The way
Logan talked about her curves and meeting her for the first time just made me melt.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">If you are after male
romantic interest who is the definition of swoon-worthy and will make you fall in
love with him instantly, look no </span>further than Logan Fyfe. He is a
complete gentleman who is so respectful of Gwen and it was amazing to read. At one
point in the story I worried that the miscommunication trope I have a vengeance
against would rear it’s ugly head but Logan being the mature man he was any
chance of this was eliminated immediately. I loved how supportive Logan was of
Gwen, he had an absolute heart of gold.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The book also provided
an unexpected but really interesting commentary on mental wellbeing and
avoiding burnout which is so relevant to so many adult readers. The bakery
setting added a really different angle to the story and we love a female entrepreneur
who gives off total girl boss vibes! The family drama for both characters was also
really interesting and it was great to be able to see how they tackle it as
couple who are still in the early stages of a relationship.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">One of the things
that did take away from this being a 5* read for me was that the ending felt rushed.
I felt that Gwen and Logan were owed a little more depth to their happy ending
so this was a shame. I would like to be able to return to their story, ideally
in a sequel but even just briefly as passing minor characters in a later book
set in Jasmine Falls just to check in with them and see where they’ve ended up.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">I will also say that
the fake dating trope felt misplaced within this story. There was instant attraction
and a blossoming relationship so having them fake dating for the sake of
appeasing Gwen’s mother, who (potential spoiler alert) wasn’t appeased by it
anyway, felt like an unnecessary way to add in an additional trope. I think the
story was enough on it’s own as a small-town forced-proximity instant-attraction
story. It’s also interesting that the book is marketed as an opposites-attract
story when I found that Gwen and Logan were actually pretty similar apart from being
from different countries. But this is more of an issue with the marketing
rather than the story itself so it hasn’t impacted on the star rating for me.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">This is a closed-door
romance and whilst I fully respect that and recognise that not everyone wants
spice in their romance novels, I do wish we’d been given a little bit more and
had even just the indication that sex had taken place. Instead, it was very
much completely glossed over aside from some passionate kissing and this felt
unrealistic.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">These things aside, I
still absolutely loved the story and it was the perfect Hallmark-movie style
romance to get me in the festive spirit. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants
an easy christmassy read, packed full of sweet moments, witty banter and relatable
characters.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>One Sweet Holiday will be published on 6th November 2023.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ9qg_HmufyfL_EN72GLFj_43SXyP43QTUrI_U5G79kF-uwDL2tIynUhNkSI4SAC4vJkAgBkdl5tzwo3_F7-Yu1U93t0IdysFWWRAyFvpoANIrpCKaRZGCLLzBizyk0e84FWaPdj_5GcCcrA5bPoGezJd1pWoD27CSK8RhmzJs54J8Is22YSbzUtoAgc/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ9qg_HmufyfL_EN72GLFj_43SXyP43QTUrI_U5G79kF-uwDL2tIynUhNkSI4SAC4vJkAgBkdl5tzwo3_F7-Yu1U93t0IdysFWWRAyFvpoANIrpCKaRZGCLLzBizyk0e84FWaPdj_5GcCcrA5bPoGezJd1pWoD27CSK8RhmzJs54J8Is22YSbzUtoAgc/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474331569135489515.post-3852026107953877632023-11-01T12:00:00.001+00:002023-11-13T18:42:45.469+00:00Review: The Midwife Of Berlin by Anna Stuart*<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: x-small;">*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.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"><i><b>Title:</b></i> </span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Midwife of Berlin</span><br /><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Author:</i></b><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span>Anna Stuart<br /><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Genre:</b></i><span style="font-family: Gloria Hallelujah;"> </span><span>Historical Fiction</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><i style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><b>Trigger warnings:</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> War, Antisemitism, Rape, Suicide, Guns, Domestic Violence, Forced Adoption/Women Forced To Give Up Their Children</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"><i>Rating:</i></b><span style="font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah";"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gloria Hallelujah"; text-align: left;"><span>★</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWD7T9zrMbh0EeVnOU8ohlQmzryNT1uhChKHMsrC18pjXtlJIvkATQXOirMnSierMMiI8GSXhqaErqb77As6CEoz_uQo8xaMUNfNABU8uh2fI3pk9s7Hluqaq_0LP-7XgOvRHvxc_UrAoOnv0B10tTb21yK8tnqR8vV5CPJCSmwe_6QQwebcD0LvW0S5I/s1536/The%20Midwife%20of%20Berlin%20by%20Anna%20Stuart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWD7T9zrMbh0EeVnOU8ohlQmzryNT1uhChKHMsrC18pjXtlJIvkATQXOirMnSierMMiI8GSXhqaErqb77As6CEoz_uQo8xaMUNfNABU8uh2fI3pk9s7Hluqaq_0LP-7XgOvRHvxc_UrAoOnv0B10tTb21yK8tnqR8vV5CPJCSmwe_6QQwebcD0LvW0S5I/w260-h400/The%20Midwife%20of%20Berlin%20by%20Anna%20Stuart.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Auschwitz, 1943: I stroke my beautiful baby’s hair.
It’s a miracle it’s blonde because it will keep her alive, it will keep her
safe. Soon they will come and take Pippa out of Auschwitz-Birkenau – and out of
my arms. But while there’s life, there’s hope I might find my daughter again…<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>An incredible story of one woman’s courage and
determination to reunite her family in the aftermath of surviving Auschwitz.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>1945, Berlin: Ester Pasternak </i></b><i>walked
out of the gates of Auschwitz barely alive. She survived against devastating
odds, but her heartbreaking journey is only just beginning. In the camp, Ester
gave birth to a tiny fair-haired infant, only for her precious baby to be
snatched from her and taken to a German family. Now the war is over, Ester
longs to find her little girl.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>But Europe is in chaos, Jewish families have been torn
apart and everyone is desperately searching for their loved ones. In every
orphanage and hospital she visits, Ester searches the faces of tear-stained
toddlers; each mop of blonde hair and pair of blue eyes she sees sets her heart
racing…<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>But as the months and the years tick by, the possibility
of finding her daughter shrinks smaller and smaller. And Ester starts to wonder
if little Pippa is even safe, or whether the miracle that saved her has now put
her in even more danger?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Will Ester ever be able to find the child whose tattoo
matches her own? Or is she already too late…</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Midwife Of Berlin is the latest powerful page-turning novel
from historical fiction author Anna Stuart. It’s a heartbreaking story primarily
set in 1961 Berlin, the year the Berlin Wall was constructed, with occasional
flashbacks to Auschwitz in 1943 and Berlin in 1950. Anna Stuart’s engaging writing
style made the setting come alive on the page and I was utterly hooked from prologue
to epilogue. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I did start reading the book without realising it was the sequel
to <i>The Midwife of Auschwitz</i>, a book which has been on my TBR list for a
while. But I was surprised with how well easy the story was to follow despite
this, and this is credit to Anna Stuart’s incredible writing ability, so I continued
reading and I would say that the book does largely work as a standalone story.
It has made me excited to read <i>The Midwife of Auschwitz </i>though to gain a
more in-depth understanding of Ester’s wartime story. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Something which stood out from even the early chapters of The
Midwife of Berlin was how clearly meticulously researched the history was and
how history was just seamlessly woven into the story. With every historical
fiction novel I read I start a list of interesting historical events and ideas featured
in the story which I would like to research and educate myself further on. And
there was so much packed into this one book that my list became quite extensive.
Alongside the primary focus on Holocaust-survivors trying to reunite with the children
who had been taken from them and adopted into Nazi Germany, the books provided
an interesting insight into life on either side of the wall. Through Olivia’s
story we get an insight into the decades-long athlete doping programme that
existed in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and it was fascinating
to read this from the perspective of one of the athletes themselves. Another really
interesting aspect of the story was the exploration of East German/socialist
attitudes to sex and relationships being more relaxed than in traditional Western
relationships. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">I really appreciated the choice of when to set the story as
it meant that we were able to explore life in both East and West Berlin before
the construction of the wall, on the day it went up, in the months and years
following the construction and also in the aftermath of the fall of the wall.
Typically fiction books I’ve read surrounding the Berlin Wall have been set at
some point during the 28 years the wall stood so to get the full breadth of the
wall’s history from a single story was fantastic. The history-geek in me
particularly loved the use of dates are the beginning of each chapter which
allowed us to track the build up to the construction of the Berlin Wall.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">The Midwife of Berlin has an ensemble of wonderful characters
who were all written with such depth to their characters. Olivia and Kirsten
were both fantastically written realistic teenagers and it was fantastic to see
their character development throughout the novel from naïve teenagers to mature
self-aware young women. Their romantic relationships with their respective
partners were also wonderfully written and I also loved the strong sibling bond
between Olivia and her brother Uli that withstands the revelations in the
story. Although the majority of the characters are fictional, we also had a
powerful portrayal of the heroic actions of Dieter Wohlfahrt, a real person who
worked with other students to get people out of East Berlin. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">This is a hard-hitting story with potentially triggering
content including rape and women forced to give their children up for adoption.
I have provided a full list of content warnings at the beginning of this
review. Although these topics are hard-hitting, I found them all to be explored
in powerful ways which did justice to the real European women who experienced
these horrific acts in the 1940s and the lifelong trauma they experienced as a
result. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;">Overall, The Midwife Of Berlin is a really powerful piece of
historical fiction and has been one of my standout historical
fiction books of 2023. It is a story I will truly never forget and
one I’ve been recommending to anyone who will listen. </span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fIfQSJ0PzsShDH3sCYmmJXMxUwh8Ns7lKyOiFnBSa5FVbre4bCtUAiODv5DUoxQ7HxbXAslxzH3YQDxGfTkJgqHa7Wu6jaUo0qcNA4cPj9JnvhlrhnC5-7FfN6o5OO1fX8MVMH6OPUoWX2WYCITJyWBQ5jUmCHf7r7qCjRL2sRpGAoAgEqThtO4dAa4/s574/chloeheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="574" height="29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fIfQSJ0PzsShDH3sCYmmJXMxUwh8Ns7lKyOiFnBSa5FVbre4bCtUAiODv5DUoxQ7HxbXAslxzH3YQDxGfTkJgqHa7Wu6jaUo0qcNA4cPj9JnvhlrhnC5-7FfN6o5OO1fX8MVMH6OPUoWX2WYCITJyWBQ5jUmCHf7r7qCjRL2sRpGAoAgEqThtO4dAa4/w200-h29/chloeheader.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chloehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12739264566115582077noreply@blogger.com0