fantasy | But I Smile Anyway...

And here we are at the end of the penultimate month of the year, November.

It’s always a busy month at schools, with assessments, sickness because it is getting colder and bugs are rife, and the beginnings of preparing for that time of year… I won’t mention it until the next review post, promise! It’s too early!

My In-Laws have been away, and that takes its toll on the family in its own way, so we managed as best we could.

I love Autumn and the colder evenings for snuggling and reading; however, the clocks changing mean it is dark so early, so I miss going for my daily walks. I would, but it is not a brightly lit place I walk through, and I want to stay safe!

So I read and listened as best I could.

I wanted to take part in the ProWritingAid writing challenge, rather like the old NaNo, but let’s be honest, as I mentioned above, it is a bit too busy in Ritu land to write over 1K a night, while dealing with everything else! I think I only entered one days words!

The Windsor Love Match: One bed. Two enemies. Cue the accidental cuddling. by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I always love it when you can dip back into a familiar fictional world, and this is exactly what I was able to do with Lizzie Chantree’s series, the Windsor Riverside Romances, and the latest book, The Windsor Love Match.
So far, we have seen romance blossom for couples, and the third story involves Romy, fiery sister of Maya, and her riverside rival, Luca, a red-blooded Italian who seems to lock horns at every turn.
When they find themselves in a bit of a situation, neither of them knows how things will work out.
A bit of proximity, enemy-to-lovers going on, here, and their own backstories are heart-wrenching, as they slowly get to know one another better.
This was an easy read, filled with feel-good vibes, and Romy and Luca’s chemistry was electric from the off. It was wonderful to read about characters from other books as well, to catch up on their lives.

Mending Lost Dreams at the Highland Repair Shop by Kiley Dunbar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ach Kiley, you’ve done it again!
I loved meeting the characters in the first Highland Repair shop book, and the whole concept of the story, with recycling, and sustainability, at the heart, so knowing we were going back there in Mending Lost Dreams, I was thrilled!
We still have the stalwart characters, but this time we meet and get to know others.
Alice is a doctor who has moved there for GP duties, after a scare in her previous posting. She’s nervous, and not sure she’s up for the job, but the magic of Cairn Dhu, begins to get to her.
Cary is one fixer at the Repair Shop, with his own demons, but he begins to feel stirrings of feelings he never thought would come back.
Finlay is a gruff mountain ranger on the Cairn Dhu mountain. A loner, who doesn’t like to be disturbed. But that is not an option when silly hikers keep getting themselves in bother.
Murray is Alice’s brother. Alice was a focus character in the last book, and Murray’s twin. We know Murray escaped from his previous job abroad, as well as running from a failed relationship, and he’s such a sweetie, all the reader wants is for him to find his HEA – but who with?
Then we have Nell the mummy dog, found with two pups, who are brought into the mix.
All these characters are the focus of the story, and there is lots of ‘mending’ and ‘fixing’ of material objects, as well as hearts and dreams as the story progresses.
High five to the author for bringing in difficulties with Mental Heath, and also the challenges of SEN children, through the story too.
I loved it and cannot wait for the next one to drop!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Falling For a Star at Christmas by Jodie Homer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was time to revisit Birchlea Heath Village, and this time we are with Naomi, a producer at a TV company, tasked with looking after the whims of Isaac, a contestant on the reality show, The Wow Factor.
He is already a minor celebrity, and his presence causes a stir in the community, as well as in Naomi’s life, as he somehow ends up staying at her home with her parents and becomes her fake boyfriend for the Paparazzi.
Along the way, he helps her realise that her life is not what she wants, and he helps her break down internal barriers, until something happens, causing both of them to question one another.
A sweet, easy read set in a quaint little village where everyone knows each other’s business, and a little bit in New York, where we also experience a little Christmas magic!

The Story Collector by Evie Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful listen!
The Story Collector is a dual-timeline tale about two women, set 100 years apart in the Emerald Country, Ireland.
2012 – Sarah, an American woman, is running away from her life and a secret grief that she cannot unburden herself from. She finds herself in Ireland on a whim and is caught up in the lives of a local family, and some mystical goings on, when she stumbles upon the diary of a girl from a century ago.
1912 – Anna, a young farm girl, meets a stranger, an American gentleman, who is researching fairy stories and their roots, and needs a translator. Not expecting her family to agree, she volunteers, and ends up riding around the locality with him, visiting all those who have stories of the Good Folk, and plenty of fuel for her researcher’s thesis.
I love the idea of fairies, and whether I believe or not, it is intriguing to read about them . So many communities, specifically the Celtic countries, have much folklore that is fodder for many books, including this one.
This was magical, ethereal, tragic and romantic, and all-round beautiful to listen to. I have to admit a soft Irish lilt helps the way with the narrator doing a fantastic job.
Thoroughly lost myself in this story whenever I listened, and I was nearly late for school some days as I didn’t want to stop partway through chapters!

A Charm of Finches: A short story from the author of the beloved Dr Nell Ward series by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have loved listening to the previous books in this series, and this short story was another wonderful edition, whetting our appetite for the next book, An Ambush of Tigers!
We meet Nell and Rav, as well as Connor and Sylvia, and Shannon and James, again, and this time, they are all trying to solve a family riddle which has never been solved, in search of a worthy prize left by one of Nell’s ancestors.
There aren’t murders in this short, but the result leaves it wide open for a cracker of a next book, when I am guessing we will be off to India!

Tell Me Why by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 14 in the Hart’s Ridge series, and it just gets better and better!
Taylor Gray is no longer part of the local police force, but she remains as passionate about solving crimes and mysteries that occur in the area.
This time, the mysterious death of someone close to Taylor, triggers her into investigating, alongside her old partner at work, Shane.
My oh, my, I wasn’t expecting that ending, that’s for sure!
This series is thrilling, and each book keeps me turning pages until the end.

The Starling Dance: a riotous, heartwarming summer romance set in Rome by Lucy Elena
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve never been to Rome, but it has always been pictured in my head as a city filled with romance.
Lucy Elena’s book, The Starling Dance, adds a whimsical filter to the city, alongside the romance.
There is a small cast of characters and several points of view, but the primary character is Laure, a French woman living there, who came to Rome to escape something from her past. Her job, though tedious, keeps her going.
We also have Viv, the human tree. Yes, I know that sounds a bit strange, but you need to read it to find out what it means! Viv is an observer, and he finds himself drawn to this beautiful woman he keeps seeing but knows nothing about.
The story follows Laure as she falls into a bit of a muddle, as a lie she told in a simple conversation with a handsome stranger catches up with her. She finds herself unable to extricate herself from a situation she doesn’t want to be in. And then there is Viv, who has his own troubled background, which makes him the tree that he is, but the faint glimmer of hope of romance promises to make him want to step out from the shadows.
This was a light hearted, nuanced romantic story with a little fantastical element to give it an added sparkle!

Angels by Marian Keyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe it took me this long to read/listen to other books in the Walsh Family series, but now that I have the audiobooks, I am a bit hooked.
This one is about Maggie, sister #2, who is married and finds out her husband, Garv has been cheating.
She finds herself in Los Angeles – the city of Angels, staying with her friend, Emily, and is swept up into the glamorous (and sometimes not so glamorous) world of movies, and all the ups and downs that come with it.
Maggie has moments of rekindling old passions and stoking new ones before deciding where her real happy life lies.
It was a great listen, and the antics turned up a notch when her mammy, dad, and sisters turned up to see if she was okay, and to have a mini holiday themselves!

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book of fiction, with its many parallels to the British Royal Family, and the twists and turns Princess Alexandrina (Lexi) has to overcome as she goes from being the Spare to the Heir, albeit reluctantly.
It really does make you question whether the grass is really greener on the other side, as in having blue blood, rather than being the average human…
I really felt for Lexi, as she battled internally with her hereditary duty as opposed to her passion, both work-related and romantically.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC.