Kindle Purchases
A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone
Some secrets should never be kept… Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match … and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it. A dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. A brave, deeply moving, page-turning psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie marks a stunning departure for one of Scotland’s finest crime writers, exploring the lengths people will go to hide their deepest secrets, even if it kills them…
Midnight serenade by Alli Sinclair
After twenty years of wondering why her mother chose the tango over her, Dani McKenna finally travels to Argentina. What was it about this beautiful, mysterious land that enticed one woman away from her own child—and broke another’s heart? As a journalist, Dani may have the opportunity to find out. And an enigmatic tango dancer may hold the key to her quest—if she can break down his defensive walls.
Carlos Escudero had been Dani’s mother’s protégé. Tragedy ended his career and he refuses to be interviewed. But he will give Dani some insights, on one condition: she must agree to his tango lessons. As the two begin the intricate dance of passion, Dani’s quiet, logical world is exchanged for one of music, motion—and mystery. For the clues to a tango legend’s murder may lead Dani to the truth about the past and its impact on her family—and free her to move toward a future she can claim as her own at last…
Secrets of the Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford
Scotland, 1860. Reverend Alexander Ferguson, naive and newly-ordained, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the Hebridean island of Harris. His time on the island will irrevocably change the course of his life, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after Alexander departs.
It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. But their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child’s fragile legs are fused together – a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? Ruth needs to solve the mystery of her new home – but the answers to her questions may lie in her own past.
Based on a real nineteenth-century letter to The Times in which a Scottish clergyman claimed to have seen a mermaid, Secrets of the Sea House is an epic, sweeping tale of loss and love, hope and redemption, and how we heal ourselves with the stories we tell.
Return to Fourwinds by Elisabeth Gifford
At Fourwinds they gather: Alice and Ralph, Patricia and Peter, to celebrate the marriage of their children. But the bride is nowhere to be seen.
What could have caused Sarah to vanish? As both families search for the answer, the past floods through the corridors of the old house. What secret has Ralph been keeping from his wife? What is it about Alice’s wartime encounter with Peter that has haunted her ever since?
Return to Fourwinds is a sweeping, lyrical story of the things we choose to tell and the secrets that we keep.
The Story of Before by Susan Stairs
I wonder today how no one else could see the bad thing coming. Not that I knew back then what the bad thing was; and if I had – if I’d known one of us was going to die – would there have been anything I could have done to prevent it? I play it all back in my mind, over and over. The clues were all there.
On New Year’s Eve, eleven-year-old Ruth and her brother and sister sit at a bedroom window, watching the garden of their new Dublin home being covered in a thick blanket of snow. Ruth declares that a bad thing will happen in the coming year – she’s sure of it. But she cannot see the outline of that thing. She cannot know that it will change their lives utterly, that the shape of their future will be carved into two parts; the before and the after.
Or that it will break her heart and her family. This is Ruth’s story.
Kindle Freebies
Gillian Campbell is out of patience.
Her husband is choosing his hobby over her. And the hobby in question? Live Action Role-Play, or ‘larp’. Larp involves dressing up as a character (be it medieval knight, banshee or centaur) and participating in imaginary battles for entire weekends.
Gillian is not impressed. She seeks professional advice and is surprised when her therapist encourages her to try larp. “Who knows? It may make you smile. It may make you laugh. It may even improve your sex life. How terrible could it be?”
The advice seems super sketch to Gillian, but she decides to don a costume and give it a go. If larp doesn’t work a marital miracle, Gillian will be able to walk away knowing she tried absolutely everything before giving up.
Will going on her own role-play adventure heal Gillian’s marriage, or will the game shed light on everything that is wrong?
Lydia and Clem Davie arrive in an Igbo village in Nigeria in July 1967 just as civil war breaks out, but Lydia has trouble adjusting to life in West Africa: a place so unfamiliar and far away from everything she truly understands.
Initially, most of the locals are welcoming and friendly, until one or two begin a frightening campaign of anti-white protests. Lydia’s life is changed irrevocably after she meets enigmatic Igbo doctor, Kwemto, and war victim, Grace. Through them Lydia learns about independence, passion and personal identity. Conflict and romance create emotional highs and lows for Lydia, whose marriage and personal beliefs slowly begin to crumble.
Will this house in a Nigerian bush village ever seem like home?
In the Footsteps of an Ass by Alan S Robinson
A light hearted account of a walk along the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail in southern France, following in the footsteps of the author of Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. When Stevenson set off in the late1870’s to walk from Le Monastier to St Jean it was to collect material that formed the basis of his early book ‘Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes’. The route of Stevensons’ meandering travels is now an established long distance trail. This is an account of my meandering thoughts as I followed in the footsteps of Stevenson and his donkey.
Consequences of the Heart by Peter Cunningham
D-Day on a Normandy beach. A flip of a coin seals the destinies of two men in love and war. From one of Ireland’s finest writers, Consequences of the Heart is an epic story of passion and fate,of cowardice and bravery, of adultery and of murder.
Secrets of the Sea House and Return to Fourwinds look amazing. I hope you enjoy A Suitable Lie ❤
LikeLike
Hoping to bump them up my tbr so we’ll see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, a restrained week for you, Jill. I’m reading A Suitable Lie at the moment and I bought Fourwinds after enjoying Secrets of the Sea House so much.
LikeLike
It’s likely to be even more restrained this week due to lack of internet for nearly half of it – might do me good!
LikeLike
you have been busy! Of these, the one by Malone appeals the most. I’m also curious about Igboland by Jeff Gardiner – not sure if I would buy this but I’ll certainly get a sample to see how the writing style works
LikeLike
The Malone book is certainly getting a lot of good press. As I picked up Igboland when it was free, it was less of a risk, and it sounded interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m looking forward to reading my copy of A Suitable Lie and can highly recommend The Secrets of the Sea House which I read a while back. You’ve certainly found some good looking finds again over the last week!
LikeLike
I’ve had The Secrets of the Sea House on my list for a while so I was delighted to pick it up this week. Glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person