The Bellamy Bird by Clare Havens

Title: The Bellamy Bird

Author: Clare Havens

Genre: Adventure/Children’s/Mystery

Opening line: Nina Bellamy carried the heavily laden laundry basket down the narrow stairs.

Blurb: Almbury Manor is the ancestral home of the Bellamy family who own a priceless heirloom, a golden statue known as the Bellamy Bird, a gift from an Indian Prince – solid gold and encrusted with precious stones, the Bird is quite priceless. On Midsummer’s Eve in 1931 the statue is stolen, causing the downfall of the Bellamy family and the loss of Almbury Manor. Modern day siblings, Freddie and Jamie, descendants of the Bellamy family, go back in time to try to prevent the robbery and secure their family’s future with the help of some mischievous schoolboys, a group of sailing-mad children and boat called Lapwing.

My Thoughts: I first heard about THE BELLAMY BIRD when a group of online buddies were discussing it avidly – words being used to describe it such as Famous Five, Hercule Poirot and the Swallows and the Amazons were being bandied about in very positive ways. When author Clare Havens offered the book for a review I jumped at the chance. The story opens in contemporary times where Nina and Tom Bellamy along with their two children Freddie and Jamie all live in London in a tall thin house with many staircases. The family are struggling financially and when Tom comes home to say he is going to be laid off the conversation turns to cost cutting. Great-grandma Violet also lives with them and this night she tells them how the family fortune had been lost in 1931 when the Bellamy Bird was stolen. The same night some family jewels belonging to a guest was also stolen. The next morning they all wake up and find themselves in 1931 – not together but all in and around Almbury Manor. They each know who they are and they recognise each other. They also all recognise Great-grandma Violet, only she is now 8 years old. The family realises they have a chance to stop the theft and change the family fortunes. What follows is a fun adventure with children exploring, sailing and camping while playing make-believe (pretending to be pirates) instead of video’s, then the grown-ups join in and traps are laid, sleuthing happens and secrets searched for, culminating in an edge of the seat sail in a storm.

Such a fast paced and fun read that certainly brought back memories of my own childhood play in the 60s and some of my favourite books. When my friends and I went for walks they were NEVER just walks – they were adventures. We’d agree on some imaginary foe be they Pirates, Gypsies, Indians, Kidnappers or bank robbers and off we’d go. I’m not sure kids do this anymore. Shame really. But at least they have access to books like THE BELLAMY BIRD to show them the way of they want to. The mystery of who stole what, why and how lasted until the very last page – and the big reveal with all the suspects gathered in one spot. There were twists and turns, scuffles and accusations but all in all I really recommend this book. While aimed at the middle school level – I think anyone would enjoy the story.

For more about the author – Click Here

B – Great – I really enjoyed reading it and it is a book I will be recommending to all my friends who like this genre.

With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review

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Curve My Song by Sarah Gai

Title: Curve My Song

Author: Sarah Gai

Genre: Romance

Opening line: “Okay, okay,” I grumble, reaching my arm out, blindly trying to locate my phone, my head still nestled beneath the covers, with no intention of surfacing any time soon..

Blurb: Sassy full figured Bree Carson loves her life, her casual singing gigs and her two best friends, the cute chubby Skyla and the always feisty Elise. But still she feels like something is missing – then her old High school love Taylor Cole returns to home town. When Bree and Taylor are thrust together, old sparks from the past reignite. Can Taylor break through the walls securely built around Bree’s heart? Will Bree let him in?

My Thoughts: I fell in love with the curvy group of best friends that Bree belongs to. They are strong female characters, all independent, curvy and proud. No self-esteem issues here. Bree, Elise and Skyla have been friends all their lives as their mothers were friends and they were all neighbours. These three ladies don’t hold back – they laugh together, fight together, cry together and have each other’s backs. So when Taylor returns to town to run his parent’s bar, Bree’s besties just know they’re in for a wild ride. Bree is a singer and she is less than impressed when Skyla organises with Taylor for Bree to sing in the bar a few nights a week. Only takes a few minutes though for Bree to realise that the great love of her teens is not behind her at all. Still it is not just a matter of falling in love again and starting a new life together – that would be too easy! First there are some hurdles to get over and some secrets to be misunderstood before we can get to the happy ever after. The romance is lovely – no dirty talk or groan by groan descriptions – just enough for you to know what’s going on and your heart to melt a little and go aaaaaah! Curve My Song is a novella and if you play your music quietly in the back ground and have a glass of wine at hand it is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. There are two more books in the series – I have the next one loaded in my erader.

For more about the author – Click Here

C – Above average. Was very readable and I really liked it but was easily able to put it down and walk away for a while.

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The Cowboy by Margareta Osborn

Title: The Cowboy

Author: Margareta Osborn

Genre: Romance

Opening line: “What do you mean there’s no record of my reservation?” Carina Chapman tapped her shiny red-coated fingernail on the reservations register. “It should be written right there. My assistant, Suzie, booked it two weeks ago.

Blurb: Carina Chapman wants a vacation. Somewhere hot. Somewhere decadent. Somewhere far, far away from her complicated life in New York. Somewhere in Australia appears to be the answer, until Carina discovers her PA has booked her into the wrong resort. Cowboy Jake Richardson can cook a mean camp-oven roast, track wild horses, breed cattle and knows Australia’s rugged High Country like no other, but he needs to diversify if he wants to keep his land. Tourism seems like the answer, but his housekeeper just quit, the rooms aren’t ready and he doesn’t know a short black from a cappuccino. Then his first guest arrives. City slick Carina is smart, classy and disgruntled that her dreamy five-star retreat has been replaced by a rustic homestead beside the Barcoo Creek. Jake has seven days to convince Carina he can deliver all the items on her vacation checklist.

My Thoughts: THE COWBOY is another book in the Hot Aussie Heroes series recently released by Tule Publishing. I really enjoyed looking at Australia’s outback through the eyes of an American city slicker. And boy oh boy did Carina have a steep learning curve to adjust to what to her was an almost alien environment. Mice, snakes, spiders and possums are all horrifying when you stare eyeball to eyeball with them. But alternatively Jake is plunged into his own piece of unknown territory when he finds out that cooking up a juicy steak on a BBQ and serving it to a vegetarian guest can be horrifying too.

I have to confess it took me a while to warm to Carina, I actually found her quite irritating to start with and it crossed my mind that if she was a successful business woman in a cut throat environment such as New York she could have handled a few critters a bit better. Having said that, there is tremendous growth in Carina as a person – in fact in truth it is she who makes the most adjustments in this relationship. Jake was a typical bushy, I loved him to bits – kind hearted and bending over backwards to try and keep her happy. He just keeps getting things wrong despite his good intentions. As Carina gets to know more about Jake’s background she gradually recognised all the good things that were happening and realised she doesn’t want to toy with his affections. She starts to help Jake with suggestions on how to make a better go with the deluxe ranch stay. The sexual attraction is at a super high level as they are both drawn strongly to each other – but both trying not to succumb for different reasons. There are some very funny scenes – and some magical scenes as Carina gets to see the positive side of the Australian Outback. The ending was happy, as you would expect, if a little bit quick. But when love calls all you can do is respond

For more about the author – Click Here

B – Great. I really enjoyed reading it and it is a book I will be recommending to all my friends who like this genre.

With thanks to Tule Publishing Group and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

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The Millionaire by Victoria Purman

Title: The Millionaire

Author: Victoria Purman

Genre: Romance

Opening line: “It can’t be him.” Elle Flannery stopped in her tracks and squinted into the brilliant Australian Summer sunshine

Blurb: Renowned photographer Chris Malone is fed up working in disaster zones. He has returned to Australia for a chance to recharge. Suburban journalist Ellie Flannery recognises Chris and asks him if he would donate a picture to raise funds for her favourite cause. Chris declines but circumstances ends up with him helping out after all and all too soon the chemistry set in – can the jetsetter and the homebody make a go of a relationship?

My Thoughts: THE MILLIONAIRE is one of a four book series called Hot Aussie Heroes recently released by Tule Publishing. As the series title suggests each of the male romantic leads is played by an Aussie. THE MILLIONAIRE opens as Ellie sees Chris surfing on a deserted beach. He is her hero as she loves his photography work and knows because of his fame she’d get a large amount of money for one of his pictures. She decides to ask him to donate. The initial meeting does not go well, she is let down by his meanness and he is tired of people lobbying him for donations – but get her legs out of his mind. A snapshot is taken of the meeting and posted on Facebook which promptly goes viral – he is stunned by how mean he looks and decides to help Ellie out. Turns out they both have a past they would rather forget and neither wants to get involved with anyone. Trouble is that old love chemistry has a mind of its own.

I really got involved with the story, it flowed along beautifully without being rushed. I found both characters to be very likable and believable, and I just LOVED Ellie’s grandparents. The romance was not forced along despite this being a novella the loved-up twosome took time to get to know each other, despite their instant mutual attraction, before they fell into bed. I also liked the ending –the resolution of the obstacles to any chance of a future life together forever was not far-fetched and had me sighing in pleasure.

For more about the author – Click Here

A – Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, and/or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it

With thanks to Tule Publishing Group and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

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The House at the Bottom of the Hill by Jennie Jones

Title: The House at the Bottom of the Hill

Author: Jennie Jones

Genre: Romance

Opening line: Daniel Bradford leaned his shoulder against the doorframe of Kookaburra’s Bar & Grill and settled in to watch the ruckus at the northern end of Main Street.

Blurb: The murder of her mother has left Charlotte Simmons jumping at shadows for too long. The only way to move forward is to get answers, and those answers can only be found in one place. So Charlotte buys a Bed & Breakfast establishment in Swallow’s Fall, a small town in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, as a ploy to get close to the man who might have the answers. She’ll renovate the old place, sell it, get her answers, and be gone in two-months. What she doesn’t count on is opposition from the dogmatic and slightly eccentric members of the town council, and the hotshot owner of Kookaburra’s Bar & Grill and his two-hundred-squats-a-day physique who offers to act as mediator. Easy-going Daniel Bradford knows that progress can be slow in Swallow’s Fall. He’s finally about to put his plans into place to upgrade the hotel when a prim-and-proper, citified redhead blows into town, putting everyone on edge. The only way to contain the trouble she’s about to cause is to contain her – but it soon becomes very clear that there’s absolutely nothing containable about Charlotte.

My Thoughts: Charlotte has lots of issues which she has carried with her from childhood. Born in Australia she was taken to England after the her mother’s murder and has now returned to face her demons head on. She is not in Swallow’s Fall to make friends or make a new start and she’s certainly not here to fall in love. She is here to talk to the son of the man who murdered her mother, then flee. The first chink in the armour is when she adopts Lucy an abandoned pooch, the second is when she realises that she has no idea what she wants to do once her objective is reached. Then as she does battle with the local town council over changing the exterior paint from pink to yellow to make the B&B more sellable, Charlotte gradually realises she is coming to see the community’s point of view and actually have friends. Not part of her plan and she now has to decide whether she should just leave town now before she gets swallowed up. She has problems of her own she doesn’t want to deal with other people’s problems; does she? And then there’s Dan, lots of nice single ladies in town – but it is the one problematic female he wants. She seems to be resisting him every step of the way – as prickly as an echidna he needs to approach her with caution. Still Lucy the dog adores him – that should help, shouldn’t it? As with all the books in the Swallow’s Fall series THE HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL has a believable story, real to life characters, love, drama, laughter and tears. I am convinced if I go driving out past Canberra into the Snowy Mountains I will find this settlement and have drinks with them at the pub. Jennie Jones has captured the Australian rural town ambiance to the tee. I was so glad to discover that there are two more Swallow’s Fall based books to follow this year – The Turnaround Treasure Shop and Magic on Main Street. I will certainly be keeping an eagle eye out for them.

For more about the author – Click Here

(A) 5 Stars – Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, and/or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it

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With thanks to Harlequin MIRA Australia and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

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The Bloodstone Key by Jenni Boyd

Title: The Bloodstone Key

Author: Jenni Boyd

Genre: Young Adult/ Fantasy

Opening line: It was a moonless night, and the sky was as black as pitch.

My thoughts: Set in a medieval land where the word of the King or Queen is law and a knight swore an oath guard the Sovereign and protect the weak. The land in question is called Zanna, and a place where mystical creatures and sorcerers of great power exist, powers that can be used for both good, and evil. THE BLOODSTONE KEY opens with the incumbent Queen dying, a secret closely guarded to protect the Princess, heir to the throne. The Queen despairs that her silly daughter has been spoiled rotten and is not fit to take over the throne. The Queen worries that her evil nephew, who believes the crown is rightfully his, will do whatever it takes to become King – including kill the queen and the princess once he finds out the Queen is dying. She is very quickly proved right and although the Queen tries to protect her daughter they are both murdered and he takes over the throne. Misery and despair spreads across the land as the new King and his evil sorcerer assistant destroy homes, crops and anyone who stands in their way. But there is hope, a legend that a child born of the gods will come and save the kingdom at its darkest hour. Surely that hour has come. A young woman is released from a tree – she has silver hair, no memory of who she is or where she has come from and all she is wearing is a chain with a bloodstone pendant around her neck. She is rescued by Elias, a masked man who cares for her, names her Sabina as he believes she is the child of the gods mentioned in legend, and promptly starts training her to kill. If Sabina really is the key to save Zanna then she will have to go into battle against the evil sorcerer and the murderous King.

THE BLOODSTONE KEY is a very good Fantasy adventure. It had fast-paced action, evil usurpers, danger, bloodshed, excitement, a touch of romance and enough misunderstandings for the story not to be over by the second chapter. Add to these magic, elves, centaurs, dragons and the mysterious heroine with powers and you can understand why I read it in a couple of days. I got a little confused in the first couple of chapters when the Queen and Princess were killed and Sabina appeared. The opening events were happening fast (well there was a little kingdom stealing going on after all) but once the story settled down I gained mental control of who was who and where they fitted into the scheme of things, I just let the story and mysteries unfold for me.

I recommend THE BLOODSTONE KEY to anyone who enjoys Fantasy Adventures.

For more about the author – Click Here

C – Above average. Was very readable and I really liked it but was easily able to put it down and walk away for a while

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With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review

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Our Kind of Love by Victoria Purman

Title: Our Kind of Love

Author: Victoria Purman

Genre: Romance

Opening line: Anna Morelli plundered the deepest recesses of her brain for every Italian swear word she knew and let them rip in a furious, unadulterated tirade

Blurb: Dr Anna Morelli rarely makes mistakes. But this one is big, bordering on huge. Somewhere between sunset and sunrise at the simple beachside wedding of two old friends, she’s cried in the ladies bathroom, danced to too many ABBA songs and survived the best, knock-your-socks-off one night stand in recorded history. Has she gone crazy? She’s supposed to be running from the disasters in her life, not creating more. Award-winning journalist Joe Blake is back in Middle Point to lick his wounds after being dumped by his wife and sacked from his Sydney job on the same day. But after one incredible night with Anna, he finds he’ll need all his investigative skills to figure out why she won’t give in to their sizzling chemistry.

My Thoughts: Our Kind of Love is the final book in the ‘Boys of Summer’ trilogy that is set on the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia – not far from the McLaren Vale wine region. I am very sad to see the series finish. We have seen Julia and Ry get their act together (in Nobody But Him), followed by Lizzie and Dan (in Someone Like You) now we get to see Anna and Joe in action. Joe, Lizzie’s brother, has returned to Middle Point from Sydney because his wife ran off with his best friend on the same day that he had been made redundant from his investigative journalist position. To say he has been knocked for six is an understatement. Anna has problems as well; a successful GP in Adelaide she is reeling after a series of miscarriages and discovering her husband was having an affair and kicking him out. Somehow she needs to pluck up enough courage to tell her family – not an easy task when you are part of a close knit Italian family that is part of the tight knit Italian community who all keep an eagle eye on everyone else’s business.

Author Victoria Purman did a brilliant job of conveying the growing attraction between Joe and Anna while giving them very realistic complications to becoming a serious couple. The story takes place over almost a year giving them time to deal with their issues and get to know each other. As with the previous books, OUR KIND OF LOVE has a beautiful setting, wonderful believable characters that you care about, romance, drama, friendship and humour and it is just plain wonderful to spend time with all the characters. I am really going to miss Middle Point but just on the horizon is a new release with Halrequin MIRA to keep me happy, with new characters to meet. Set on Kangaroo Island ONLY WE KNOW and will be released in late April 2015 – A rugged island. Two people. Family secrets.

For more about the author – Click Here

A – Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, and/or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it.

With thanks to Harlequin MIRA Australia and the author for my copy to read and review.

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The Maxwell Sisters by Loretta Hill

Title: The Maxwell Sisters

Author: Loretta Hill

Genre: Romance

Opening line: Most recipients of the gold-gilded invitation were pleased and excited to receive it.

Blurb: All families have their problems and none more so than the Maxwells of Tawny Brooks Winery. Situated in the heart of the Margaret River wine region, this world-renowned winery was the childhood home to three sisters, Natasha, Eve and Phoebe. Today all three women are caught up in their city lives and eager to forget their past and try and ignore their broken sibling relationships. That is until Phoebe decides to get married at home, so now each of the sisters along with their emotional baggage must all return to face a host of family obligations, a vintage in full swing and interfering in-laws who just can’t take a hint. Somehow, the Maxwell sisters must find a way back to one another – or risk losing each other forever.

My Thoughts: On her web page, author Loretta Hill writes “…I write stories favouring strong, capable women and the men who love them in rich Australian settings. I love a good laugh so also be prepared to find plenty of Aussie humour in my novels…” and that would sum up all her books precisely.

In THE MAXWELL SISTERS everyone seems to have secrets, the trouble is, keeping those secrets is causing heartache and misinterpretations amongst the other family members. On the bright side though readers’ gets to know enough of the secrets to be able to follow the different plot lines – but not all, so there can be some misunderstandings of our own. Each sister has her own story. Phoebe (Phee) is marrying Spider, a celebrity TV chef and her sister Eve’s former restaurant partner; the restaurant, located at the winery, burned down and was abandoned. Phee, the peacemaking sister, has decided that her wedding will be just the event to pull her family back together again and she requests family members to gather a month before the wedding to repair the burnt restaurant so it can be the venue for her reception. Eve, the shy and non-confrontational sister, is suffering from the loss of her business, unrequited love, and a current work place that is sapping her happiness. Finally there is Tasha, the perfect sister, who has been hiding from her family just how imperfect she actually is. One of her secrets is that she and her husband Heath have been living in separate States for a few months after a devastating event (also a secret), so imagine her surprise when she arrives and finds Heath there ready to lend a hand to prepare for the wedding. Tasha and Heath have to act like everything is wonderful as she is not ready to share with her family. Tasha also has issues with Eve as they had a huge fight just after the restaurant burned down and have not spoken to each other since. Everyone arrives, including Spider’s mum and dad, and the scene is set. My favourite thread was that of the mother of the bride and mother of the groom being locked in a battle to try and outdo each other from the very start. Beginning with whose name appears first on the invitation, through the flowers, finger food and onto the actual celebrant – these two ladies don’t let up for a minute. I loved them. I have found that Loretta Hill is very good at relationships – especially angst ridden ones – and there is a lot of angst and hurt within the family. Before we get to the wedding there is a mystery to solve (which I cottoned on to about 3/4s of the way through); growing current, past and new loves to be sorted; false acquisitions honestly discussed and lessons learned. THE MAXWELL SISTERS was a wonderful read and I quickly found myself wishing I could be a friend and join in their world. Even their leading men were great and I am sure my husband would fit in nicely – especially at a Margaret River Winery!

For more about the author – Click Here

5 Stars – Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, and/or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it.

With thanks to Random House and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

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