Welcome to my series of gardens and their gardeners. Over the next few months I’m adding to my regular gardening #SixOnSaturday posts with Sunday spots for fellow gardeners. I first met Sarah through the books that she writes. Sarah has … Continue reading
For this week’s Six On Saturday, I am bringing you some photos from my recent outing to a local garden. Beechenwood Farm, is just a handful of miles from where I live. Mr & Mrs M Heber-Percy redesigned the house … Continue reading
Today’s team review is from Cathy.
Cathy blogs here https://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/
Cathy has been reading Dark Highland Skies by Lizzie Lamb
Halley Dunbar has returned to Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands from her home and job in Hawaii, after a long absence, to represent her family and organise her great uncle Tam’s funeral, as well taking on the emotional task of sorting out his belongings. She used to stay with Tam every summer when she was a teenager in his bothy by Loch Morar, which was part of Sir Montgomery Strachan’s estate. Tam had been the laird’s batman and he and Sir Monty had shared a special and long standing friendship. Sir Monty had gifted the bothy to Tam despite his wife’s strong objections.
Halley is devastated that she left it too late to see the great uncle she loved, and although they did keep in touch over the years, it wasn’t the same as in person. After her last visit and the resulting trauma, Halley found it impossible to return. Now she wished wholeheartedly she had tried to explain why she felt the need to stay away. There was nothing to keep here in Scotland now and she planned to leave straight after the funeral.
‘Luckily, the moment she set foot on the silver sands, the clouds parted, and the pale light of a gibbous moon showed the way to the old salmon bothy. Straightening, Halley looked across the loch towards the lights on the far shore and despite her earlier resolution, memories crowded in thick and fast. Voices. Laughter. The touch of a hand on her skin. A Judas kiss. Now she could finally admit that putting her uncle’s affairs in order wasn’t the only reason for making this trip.
She had ghosts to lay.’
Halley hoped she could avoid meeting any of the Strachan family but an unexpected encounter with the eldest of the laird’s children, Hector, put paid to that in a very unexpected way. Hector, or Tor as he is known, is trying to come to terms with his experiences and a severe injury in Afghanistan, also the resulting PTSD, by living alone in his converted Airstream. Halley and Tor both have issues to work through, and with questionable activity going on there’s never a dull moment.
Halley’s plans to steer clear of the Strachans took a further knock when she learned how devastated Sir Monty was by Tam’s death and that he wanted to do as much as he could with regard to the funeral. She found herself becoming involved with the family as her old friend Rowan, who had succeeded her father as undertaker, introduced her to Tor’s sister, Lexie. Her friendship with Tor blossomed and she couldn’t help but like Sir Monty. But her life and work were thousands of miles away and she wanted to get back to it.
I always enjoy Lizzie Lamb’s books for the beautiful settings and sense of place, also the wonderful, sometimes quirky, well developed characters and of course the writing. The characters are engaging, with a couple of exceptions, and realistic. I enjoyed the historical details also. Recommended for those who enjoy a slow burn, believable romance, great characters and stories set in Scotland.
Astrophysicist Halley Dunbar has spent her career peering into the space hoping to find the one-in-a-billion exoplanet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Such a find would be the climax of her scientific career and establish her as a force majeure in a male-dominated world. When her great-uncle dies, she travels to Lochaber in Scotland to arrange his funeral, reluctant to leave her research and her million-pound telescope behind in Hawaii. In Scotland, she encounters an assortment of characters who make her realise there’s more to life than searching for something that might not exist. The years are ticking by and Halley (35), starts to question the life she’s chosen. When the laird’s son, Tor Strachan, rocks up, he turns her world upside down and Halley discovers, not the new exoplanet she’s spent her academic life searching for, but the one-in-a-billion man who can make her happy. Forced to question her life choices, Halley wonders if she’ll be able to return to stargazing and leave behind a place and a man she’s come to love. However, Afghan veteran Tor has demons of his own to confront before he can be the man Halley deserves. And, as for Halley, she has secrets of her own; ones she can’t share with anyone, including Tor.
The Misery House by David Duane Kummer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Misery House is book #1 in The House On The Hill series of Gothic style modern day thrillers.
Set in a small American town, this story touches on prejudices and small town traditions that often smother those who live there and that make new comers feel unwelcome. All this is set against the eerie empty House on The Hill. A place kept alive by stories and something else lurking in the shadows.
The story steps along at a good pace and is told from several points of view, as the tension and horror builds fueled by people’s fears.
It is quite rare for me to read any horror, but the gothic style house somewhat appealed and the storytelling kept me reading on. It is well-written with very good vivid descriptions of the place and the people. The finale is open-ended ready for the next book in the series and some readers may find the cliff-hanger annoying rather than satisfying.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
Sometimes the quietest little towns are haunted by the darkest secrets.
A psychological thriller and a family you’ll never forget.
New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.
The Woods family has lived here forever. But when their friends and their own children are put in danger, the threat hits home. This close-knit family must risk everything to find answers, but time is running out.
New Haven has secrets. And a haunted house like you’ve never seen before.
The Misery House is a chilling, suspenseful novel that will keep you guessing until the very end and set the stage for an epic three-book haunting. With its twists and turns, a likable family thrust into danger, this page-turner will keep you up late into the night.
It’s up to the Woods family. Some fates are worse than death. Is it too late to save their town… and each other?
Expected publication July 7th 2023.
Of Water and Dragons by Kelley Heckart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Of Water And Dragons is a tale of Celtic mythology set in Roman Britain.
An injured Roman soldier is rescued and healed by a water fairy. Nemu has spent many years alone in her forest; she hasn’t realised that she felt loneliness until patient is ready to return to his legion.
Ambiorix is both attracted to and horrified by Nemu; her wings frighten him, but he is also romantically drawn to her. When Ambiorix goes back to civilisation, Nemu wanders through some of Celtic Britain, then goes in search of Ambiorix’ home on the borders; his stories of it intrigued her.
This is a story of battles, druids, Romans and magical mysticism. I could easily picture the settings of the era and Nemu was a wonderful character. The Celtic and spiritual aspects drew me into this story, but I also enjoyed the touches of Roman Britain.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
Do you like enemies to lovers romances with magic, mythology, and Roman history?
Of Water and Dragons weaves the Roman history and Celtic lore of ancient Britain and Scotland to create an unforgettable story of love and sacrifice. They were destined to meet, but they will have to fight everything they believe in to stay together. Nemu, a half-human, half-water faery woman, lives in the untamed land the Romans call Caledonia. Soon after the devastating battle of Mons Graupius ends, she finds a wounded Roman soldier named Ambiorix. Despite her distrust of humans, she takes him in and heals his wounds. Ambiorix is a Roman soldier with a strong sense of duty. He’s been taught that the Celts are barbaric and need to be conquered, but when Nemu heals him after the Romans win a key battle over the Celtic armies, he questions everything he has been taught. Though they are from different worlds, they are mysteriously drawn to each other, but unforeseen forces keep them apart until their worlds collide in a fury of fire, blood, and darkness. ˃˃˃ This compelling story mixes Roman military history with Celtic mythology. Of Water and Dragons takes place on the mystical island of Britannia from the dark enchanted lochs of Scotland to the grand bathhouses of Roman Britain. The battle of Mons Graupius in AD 84 is one of the most profound battles in history when the Romans, though greatly outnumbered, defeated the Celtic tribes of ancient Scotland and furthered the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Welcome to my series of gardens and their gardeners. Over the next few months I will be adding to my regular #SixOnSaturday posts with Sunday spots for fellow gardeners. I always look forward to Fred’s Saturday post as he grows … Continue reading
This week we have seen high winds, cool nights and sunny spells. I am at that stage when I am eager to get everything out into the garden, but it’s all a bit of a risk. Is anyone else feeling … Continue reading
Today’s team review is from Sandra.
Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews
Sandra has been reading Dark Highland Skies by Lizzie Lamb.
Having enjoyed a few of Lizzie Lamb’s novels before, I was looking forward to reading Dark Highland Skies and was not disappointed. Halley Dunbar has come back to Scotland to arrange the funeral of her great-uncle Tam whom she had not seen for twenty years. She plans to clear out Tam’s bothy, and go back home to Hawaii straight after the funeral, but life is never that simple. She had not reckoned on the various members of the Strachan family she would have to deal with, and once again falling under the spell of this beautiful part of the world.
Lizzie Lamb obviously loves the highlands of Scotland as she visits every year to research her books, and this shows in the vivid descriptions of the Silver Sands of Morar. I spent many holidays there and can vouch that she does it justice. If you remember the 1983 film Local Hero, some of the beach scenes were filmed there. After reading Dark Highland Skies, I’m sure many readers will be keen to visit and see the silver sands and dark skies for themselves.
Tor Strachan is portrayed in a believable and sympathetic light, as an ex-Major in the army coming to terms with a life-changing injury and the ongoing effects of PTSD. Halley Dunbar is a highly intelligent woman with a promising career ahead of her, but needs to come to terms with what happened to her all those years ago before it colours the rest of her life. They are supported by a wonderfully drawn cast of characters who range from the quirky to the downright nasty. The story is told from both Halley and Tor’s points of view so we get a more rounded picture. They both have issues to work through before there is room in their lives for a relationship, but they have a strong connection so hopefully it will all work out. I really enjoyed my trip back to Morar in Dark Highland Skies, and look forward to Lizzie Lamb’s next Highland adventure.
Astrophysicist Halley Dunbar has spent her career peering into the space hoping to find the one-in-a-billion exoplanet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Such a find would be the climax of her scientific career and establish her as a force majeure in a male-dominated world. When her great-uncle dies, she travels to Lochaber in Scotland to arrange his funeral, reluctant to leave her research and her million-pound telescope behind in Hawaii. In Scotland, she encounters an assortment of characters who make her realise there’s more to life than searching for something that might not exist. The years are ticking by and Halley (35), starts to question the life she’s chosen. When the laird’s son, Tor Strachan, rocks up, he turns her world upside down and Halley discovers, not the new exoplanet she’s spent her academic life searching for, but the one-in-a-billion man who can make her happy. Forced to question her life choices, Halley wonders if she’ll be able to return to stargazing and leave behind a place and a man she’s come to love. However, Afghan veteran Tor has demons of his own to confront before he can be the man Halley deserves. And, as for Halley, she has secrets of her own; ones she can’t share with anyone, including Tor.
Snail’s Pace by Susan McDonough-Wachtman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars
Snail’s Pace is a science fiction novella. Although the story opens on the streets of Hong Kong in 1884, the majority of the book takes place on a spaceship.
Susannah, is so desperate for employment that she quickly accepts the chance of adventure. She is employed to teach English etiquettes to the son of her employers. On a ship filled with intergalactic beings, Susannah is thrown deeply into a new world.
For her part Susannah accepts most of her new surroundings easily, however, her ability to act sensibly leaves her in some difficult situations.
I liked the concept of this story and the aliens were refreshing to read about; this was a character led story, but the short length of the tale made it feel rushed in places, especially at the end.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
Orphaned and penniless in Hong Kong in 1884 — what’s a young gentlewoman to do?
Impulsive, adventurous, and self-confident, Susannah accepts an offer to become the governess to a young foreigner on a ship. She does not expect the ship to be in space, or the foreign child to be an alien who looks like a giant snail. Nevertheless, she throws herself into the job of bringing Victorian decorum to the natives.
But when she is accused of spying and put on trial in an alien court, Susannah has to challenge the law of the aliens to save herself — and her young and slimy student.
Today’s team review is from Fiona.
Fiona has been reading The Misery House by David Kummer
Five stars
“New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.”
If I tell you that this tale starts out with a creepy old house you might think that a cliche was on its way, but it is done so beautifully, the cliche is avoided. Small town ordinariness is built in to a narrative out of which the shocking arises almost naturally.
As a Brit reader, I don’t have an idea of where New Haven is but I still managed to appreciate the picture drawn in this book of the constant tension that small town life engenders – security or suffocation? The descriptions of the hills, the weather and Kaia’s beloved forest are beautiful, adding yet another layer to New Haven.
Events are sparked off as a middle school baseball game is played out under a baking sun. I found this opening excellent, building the sense of unease gradually from something as innocent and wholesome as a family attending the game. The fire that starts the action devastates the town but brings out some people’s suspicion of outsiders. The action is complicated by the fact that most of the characters have known each other all their lives: they have a natural reluctance to judge one another.
From the beginning though, the Woods family stand out because Cliff married Naomi, a girl he met a college, different in her appearance and her willingness to challenge the easy road, the acceptable version. Their children Nathaniel and Kaia are also given the chance to be different, and Kaia in particularly dreams of leaving New Haven despite her love for it, and her close friendship with Allison who has already married the loathsome Maliki. Led by Naomi’s strength the Woods family are going to challenge the easy assumptions of others, the people who want to believe that “…strangers mean trouble. New people mean trouble.”
The creepiness surrounding the abandoned old house is beautifully built up and unusually for me I read the book in one go. In fact, I was surprised when I reached the end – the story really does grab you and hold you. Watch out though – it ends on a terrific cliffhanger and you are going to wait impatiently for the next installment!
Sometimes the quietest little towns are haunted by the darkest secrets.
A psychological thriller and a family you’ll never forget.
New Haven: This rural town has never seen a string of tragedies like this. A local store burns to the ground with two bodies inside. A newlywed couple goes missing, and all signs point to the abandoned house. With no answers, the townsfolk grow more and more worried.
The Woods family has lived here forever. But when their friends and their own children are put in danger, the threat hits home. This close-knit family must risk everything to find answers, but time is running out.
New Haven has secrets. And a haunted house like you’ve never seen before.
The Misery House is a chilling, suspenseful novel that will keep you guessing until the very end and set the stage for an epic three-book haunting. With its twists and turns, a likable family thrust into danger, this page-turner will keep you up late into the night.
It’s up to the Woods family. Some fates are worse than death. Is it too late to save their town… and each other?
Expected publication July 7th 2023.
A blog about life in Wellington, New Zealand
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
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Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
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Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
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