Love Heart Lane - Christie Barlow

AVAILABLE HERE

Goodreads Blurb:

Welcome to Love Heart Lane…
When Flick Simons returns to the small village of Heartcross she only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular – Fergus Campbell.
When a winter storm sweeps in, the only bridge connecting the village to the main land is swept away! As the villagers pull together, Flick finds herself welcomed back by the friends she once left behind. And as the snow begins to melt, maybe there is a chance that Fergus’s heart will thaw too…

My Review:

I love a book set in a picturesque village, with a strong community spirit with a great mix of characters that all bring something very different. 'Love Heart Lane' is a wonderful example of this. Set in the small, Scottish village of Heartcross we have the first of what will be a lovely series of books. I definitely think this is a village and group of characters I could really become very fond of!

Felicity (Flick) fled Heartcross 8 years ago and is now back and must face the hurt and upset from those she left behind. When bad weather takes hold and causes a major disaster, Flick seems to be voice of reason and spokesperson for the village - can she fix what is broken - literally and in terms of her relationships/friendships?

I liked Flick, she is strong and very capable. She keeps her head in a crisis and confident in terms of speaking up for herself and others - a couple of times I felt she was a little too full on though; with regards to Fergus, she hardly gives him any space to compose himself now she's back before she's on at him about how she feels and wanting him back. I just felt a bit sorry for him. 

Don't get me wrong, I think Flick is a great character and I really felt for all she had been through, I understood her reasons for leaving Heartcross but didn't think she appreciated that time moves on and everybody would have carried on with their lives too. She is a great heroine, and she does work hard to cement her position back within the community. She does get involved in literally everything that happens from delivering babies to delivering food parcels! 

A lovely tale of renewing friendships, accepting situations beyond our control and fighting hard for those you love. With plenty of drama, some laughs and a long lost romance, I think Heartcross is going to be a fabulous setting for some great stories. I look forward to finding out more about the other characters of Heartcross.

Comfy Rating: 👍👍👍👍.5  

The Survivors - Kate Furnivall

Available here

Goodreads Blurb:

'Directly I saw him, I knew he had to die.’ Germany, 1945. Klara Janowska and her daughter Alicja have walked for weeks to get to Graufeld Displaced Persons camp. In the cramped, dirty, dangerous conditions they, along with 3,200 others, are the lucky ones. They have survived and will do anything to find a way back home.

But when Klara recognises a man in the camp from her past, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins. He knows exactly what she did during the war to save her daughter. She knows his real identity. What will be the price of silence? And will either make it out of the camp alive?

My Review:

This is the first time I've read a book by Kate Furnivall and what a wonderful experience it has been. Kate has written a beautiful, fiercely captivating tale of unwavering love and the bond between mother and child as well as the steely determination to do whatever is needed to survive.  A story of the survivors of war, it is spellbinding and I found it difficult to put down.

I always know a book has had a long lasting effect on me, as I think about it for days afterwards and replay different parts in my mind.  I like to think of it as a 'book hangover' and that's what I feel here. I am fairly ashamed to say I didn't know too much about the DPs Camps but this book has vividly painted a picture, Kate's writing draws you in and makes you feel like you are really there, watching all that takes place.

I felt each characters spirit, they were well written to evoke various emotions - love, despair, fear and even hate. Klara - the lionness protecting her cub. A mother willing to do anything in order to find, protect and free her child, wanting to make the life ahead better -she may have to do and experience truly awful things, but she is such a fantastic character. I loved her attitude, her approach  and intelligence in any situation and I was completely on her side from the moment I started reading. I think the flashbacks to Klara's emphasised what she was capable of, what she was willing to endure and served as a reminder of how far she had come.
 

If I thought Klara was feisty then her daughter, Alicja, is something else! What a testament to Klara; the lengths her daughter would go so to protect her Mum too. True fighting spirit from both women, who feel the need to right a wrong, seek revenge and get what they deserve. 

The delicate relationship between Klara and Davide, a symbol of the fragility of all survivors - their friendship and blossoming romance throughout was a beautiful addition to the story.

An emotional journey of love and survival, showing humanity at it's worst but also at its most special. 

First but definitely not the last book by Kate Furnivall, I highly recommend for all historical fiction fans but if you're looking for something different - this is worth the step out of your comfort zone. 

Comfy Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

The Little Cafe at the End of the Pier - Helen J Rolfe

Available Here 

Goodreads Blurb:

When Jo's beloved grandparents ask for her help in running their little café at the end of the pier in Salthaven-on-Sea she jumps at the chance.

The café is a hub for many people: the single dad who brings his little boy in on a Saturday morning; the lady who sits alone and stares out to sea; the woman who pops in after her morning run.

Jo soon realises that each of her customers is looking for love  and she goes about setting each of them up on blind dates - each date is held in the café, with a special menu she has designed for the occasion. But Jo has never found love herself. She always held her grandparents' marriage up as her ideal and she hasn't found anything close to that. But could it be that love is right under her nose...?

A quick note:

A Year at the Café at the End of the Pier is the collected Café at the End of the Pier novellas. If you have already read and enjoyed the novellas then you have already read A Year at the Café at the End of the Pier.

My Review:

Rather ashamedly I admit this was my first book from the always lovely Helen (@HJRolfe) but it definitely will not be my last.

When Molly and Arthur realise they need a change of pace, they ask granddaughter Jo to come back to Salthaven-on-Sea and help run the cafe. The book takes us through her first year of running the much loved, community focal point and chronicles the ups and downs of not only Jo's life but also of the friends and regulars at the café.

We see Jo struggle initially - a complete change of pace to her former life of being a teacher, it seems that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Her fears and doubts are increased by the less than enthusiastic insistence from her Mother that she is wasting her life back in Salthaven. This is all Jo needs to fuel her determination and she sets out to prove her wrong.

As we go through the seasons and special occasions of this first year, we see Jo's character bloom and grow in confidence, this in turn is reflected in the success of the café. I loved Jo's attempts at playing Cupid - she seriously seems to have a knack for match-making. Jo soon realises that she herself has a secret admirer and I for one was as stumped as Jo at who it could be.

I loved the mystery of who had fallen for Jo- as I thought all of the characters set up as potential love interests could have been great matches for her. I couldn't figure out which man it would be - even right to the last few pages and I love that I was kept guessing. I was definitely happy with the end result though (for Jo and for other characters involved).

A great cast of characters with their own little stories created a real sense of community, I loved their individual personalities and what they all added to the book. Written with wonderful detail, including some absolutely mouth watering food descriptions, this book was a real pleasure to read, fun and full of emotion and suspense.

I would highly recommend The Little Café at the End of the Pier for a cosy, snuggle up and binge read book. I look forward to catching up on more by Helen J Rolfe too. 

Comfy Rating:

👍👍👍👍👍