‘The writing flowed so well that it swept me up.’ Rosie’s #Bookreview of #ContemporaryDrama The Vernazza Effect by @RobertaRCarr #TuesdayBookBlog

The Vernazza Effect by Roberta R. Carr

5 stars

The Vernazza Effect is a contemporary drama and revolves around the life of Ella Walker, who works as a premature baby nurse in a San Francisco hospital; she’s hit hard by the death of one her ‘her’ babies. On the home front Ella is in an increasingly abusive marriage; she reaches a critical point in her life when her own mother dies.

Her best friend Tara arranges for them both to go to Italy for a much needed holiday, but when the holiday ends Ella isn’t ready to head back; instead she stays for two more weeks on her own. Her destination is the beautiful north west costal area around the Cinque Terre villages, and it is here that she finds the strength she needs to make the changes in her life. It’s also the place where she meets Jack, another solo traveller, and in their brief time together they find happiness.

This is a revised version of this story and after reading a selection of reviews I know that this new version is a winner. The writing flowed so well that it swept me up into the delightful descriptions of people and places. The Italian scenes were particularly picturesque. The story doesn’t end in Italy, for Ella must return home and face reality and it comes to her in several hard-hitting ways which I’m not going to mention and spoil for other readers. I really enjoyed being part of Ella’s journey as the author made me feel part of the story in just the right way to escape from my own world. I read this in a couple of sittings and it was one of those books that I could have carried on reading into the small hours. Highly recommended.

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A woman’s unforgettable journey to find her destiny.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ella Walker strives to live her best life. When tragedy strikes at both work and home, her world spirals out of control. She confides in her best friend, Tara Collins, who helps her confront her fears.

With Tara by her side, Ella embarks on a cathartic journey across Italy to heal her body and soul. The odyssey leads to Vernazza, one of five seaside villages in the Cinque Terre. The enchanting hamlet provides the refuge and tranquility Ella needs to gain clarity about her future.

As she awakens to her heart’s desire, fate intervenes with several cruel twists, threatening to upend her happiness. Will Ella cling to her old ways, or will she fight for her dreams that were born in Vernazza?

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #ContemporaryDrama FACE THE WIND by Caren Werlinger

Today’s team review is from Liz, she blogs here https://lizannelloyd.wordpress.com/

Liz has been reading Face The Wind by Caren Werlinger

On the small island of Little Sister off the Atlantic coast of Maine, Kathleen is beginning to feel settled in her relationship with part-time Sheriff, Molly, and is now an important member of the close-knit community. But another young woman is on her way to the island from the other side of the States. Teacher, Meredith Turner finds her dreams filled with a dramatic shipwreck and identifying the ship from a picture she believes it happened near to Little Sister. Her mother shares the same dream and a surprise Ancestry DNA result causes the two women to question the past.

Louisa is the much-loved, retired island schoolteacher. She is lonely but has many friends to help her. As she waits out her days, she thinks back to her youth at college wondering if her life could have been different.  Molly is very happy with Kathleen but sometimes there are misunderstandings. She would love her brother, Aidan, to find happiness but he is scared of committing himself to another person.

The island’s population receive a portent, but will it be a disaster or merely a change in their customs? This magical place attracts many tourists but the last thing they want is an influx of newcomers. It is a pleasure to share the dramatic events and consequences, in my return visit to the island and to see characters I care about struggling to achieve their dreams. Another delightful story by Caren Werlinger.

Kathleen Halloran has never been happier. She and Molly Cooper have built a life together, living in her grandmother’s cottage. The family drama of the past has calmed down. She and Molly will soon be aunts. Life on Little Sister Island is everything Kathleen could wish for… until the island begins to send ominous signals that change is in the wind.
Living beside a different ocean, Meredith Turner tries to make sense of her dreams—dreams of an island she’s never seen but can’t forget. After an ancestry test throws her family into chaos, the tempest that follows blows Meredith and her parents clear across the country, to the island of her dreams.
For Louisa Woodhouse, it feels the end is near. With no one to follow after her, she’s the last of her line on Little Sister, and her secrets will go with her. Soon, the Woodhouse name will join the others that now exist only in the island’s genealogy records.
But Little Sister Island has its own magic—rhythms and seasons and tides and currents that even the best-laid human plans can’t fight. And in that magic is a warning—a storm is coming.

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