Best of October

Autumn is here and my 'Book of the Month' is....

1. The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain (Released 1 October 2020)

When an opportunity to design a winter garden opens up in Nightingale Square, Freya jumps at the chance to make a fresh start. But while the majority of the residents are welcoming, local artist Finn seems determined to shut her out, and when Freya's family make a surprise appearance, it seems that her new life is about to come crashing down.

In my opinion - Heidi Swain is one of my all-time favourite authors and this, the third in the nightingale series, is a return to her best. This one once again focused fully on the square's residents and that's what I love most about Heidi's novels that sense of catching up with much loved friends. Don't worry though if you haven't read any of the others as each one focuses on a different lead character and story so it really won't matter.

Like the others though it's another heart-warming tale of new beginnings, love and friendships with delightful characters and a idyllic setting. A simple formula but one that works so well! With the author's trademark charm, effortless writing style and vivid descriptions, I could clearly picture the garden, square and every single character. Once again I fell in love with the place, wanting to up sticks and move there. 

I'm also recommending these three thrillers.

2. Your Life For Mine by Karen Clarke (Released 14 October)

Meet Beth Turner. Aged seven, she almost drowned on a family holiday… and a stranger died saving her life. So, when Beth receives a threatening text message from an anonymous number on the way to her surprise birthday party, she knows her time is up.

In my opinion - As a big fan of Karen Clarke's romcoms I was excited to check out her change in direction. As expected it was another well-written, nicely paced story from the author. I liked that pretty much everyone was a suspect, but I did have the eventual culprit pegged as the clear front runner from the start. I couldn't decide if I liked the ending or not. 'Not' because I typically like justice but it did seem fitting for the character - after all everyone loves a disturbed vigilante on a crazy mission.

3. The Vow by Debbie Howells (Released 15 October)

Two weeks before her wedding, a stranger stops Amy in the street and warns her she’s in danger. That night, Matt, her fiancé, doesn’t come home. Then another man is reported missing, by a woman called Fiona – a man meeting Matt’s description, who was about to leave his fiancée for her. It soon becomes clear that Matt has been leading a double life!

In my opinion - I loved the premise of this and there was lots to like but also some areas where it didn't quite fulfil its potential. The story and suspense built steadily throughout, with lots going on to keep interest high. It also wasn't obvious the way it was going to pan out or who to suspect. However, that said the second half of the book lost a bit of momentum and I felt slightly let down in the way it turned out. In the end there were a lot of threads that didn't come to anything eg Matt's past love life, Cath and the mystery warning. So, overall a bit mixed but definitely worth a read.

4. The Chalet by Catherine Cooper (Released 31 October)

French Alps, 1998, two young men ski into a blizzard… but only one returns. 20 years later four people connected to the missing man find themselves in that same resort. Each has a secret. Two may have blood on their hands. One is a killer-in-waiting. Someone knows what really happened that day.

In my opinion - I liked this. I loved the alpine setting and the storytelling which covers dual timelines and multiple points of view. But, I wanted more - perhaps because it turned out to be more of a revenge story than a ‘whodunnit'. By the time it reaches the 'climax' it's a bit of an anticlimax as from the backstories you're able to work it all out sooner than necessary and so it's no longer a surprise. There were also too many coincidences and irrelevancies for my liking. Most of the characters were pretty unlikeable and others purely there as red herrings - even one of the main characters turned out to be pretty irrelevant as whilst connected nobody else knew.