Book Review: Hothouse Flower by Lucinda Riley

As a child, concert pianist Julia Forester would linger in the hothouse of Wharton Park estate, where exotic flowers tended by her grandfather blossomed and faded with the seasons.
Now, recovering from a family tragedy, she once more seeks comfort at Wharton Park, newly inherited by Kit Crawford, a charismatic man with a sad story of his own. But when a years-old diary is found during renovation work, the pair turn to Julia's grandmother to hear the truth about the love affair that turned Wharton Park's fortunes sour...

And so Julia is plunged back in time, to the world of Olivia and Harry Crawford, a young couple torn apart by the Second World Wat - and whose fragile marriage is destined to affect the happiness of generations to come, including Julia's own.

I had a good feeling about this book as soon as it arrived and it is definitely in my top 10 favourite reads of 2010. It has everything I love; history, romance, drama, mystery and a beautiful country estate right at the heart of it.
The book jumps between the present day and the time just before and after the Second World War. There are a fair few characters involved in the story but they are all connected the Wharton Park Estate in some way.
Lucinda Riley expertly builds up events in the book, her descriptions are beautifully rich and vivid. The book takes place in both England and Bangkok both provide a beautiful backdrop to the story.
The Second World War changes everything for the Crawford family as it did for so many others. The author shows how the war led people to make decisions and choices that may not have been made if they had not endured such a terrifying ordeal. It is these decisions and closely guarded secrets that Julia gradually uncovers. I don't want to give anything away but I was pleasantly surprised  by just how many twists and turns this book contains.
Hothouse Flower is a fabulous book, it really reminded me of Kate Morton's writing. The story was totally absorbing and I shall be looking out for further books by Lucinda Riley in the future.

The book is out now, many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy to review.

New to Dot Scribbles Shelves

I am having a really good bout of reading at the moment, enjoying everything! I have bought a couple of books this week:

I Remember You by Harriet Evans (Harper) Heartbroken Tess Tennant is fleeing London for a fresh start. She's dreaming of familiar faces, picture-perfect cottages and Adam, her best friend since childhood. But Langford, a lovely slice of Jane Austen country, is at war over a scheme to build on a local water meadow and Adam is too wrapped up with a new girlfriend to tend to Tess's bruised heart.
A trip to Rome promises a respite and when a mysterious stranger whisks Tess into a dream of Italian moonlight and Prosecco, she's ready to be reckless. But her magical holiday ends with a shocking discovery and Tess finds herself back home- and in a tangled mess of friendships and feelings.
She must decide once and for all where she belongs and with whom...

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada (Penguin) Otto, an ordinary German living in a shabby apartment block, tries to stay out of trouble under Nazi rule. But when he discovers his only son has been killed fighting at the front he's shocked into an extraordinary act of resistance, and starts to drop anonymous postcards attacking Hitler across the city. If caught he will be executed.
Soon this silent campaign  comes to the attention of ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich, and a murderous game of cat-and-mouse begins. Whoever loses, pays with their life.

I have been sent one book to review this week and it looks brilliant:

Pastworld by Ian Beck (Bloomsbury- July 5th 2010) To Eve, a lifelong resident of PASTWORLD, horse-drawn carriages and gas lamps are modern technology. Eve doesn't even know she's living in a simulation- until she is forced to flee the only home she has ever known, and to confront the truth about her city and herself.
To Caleb, a tourist visiting PASTWORLD. the theme park is the perfect antidote to the stifling conformity and regulation of 2048. Until he finds himself at the scene of a murder, holding the knife, and suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system.
And in the midst of it all, a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He's the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the future, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.

Bloomsbury kindly sent me the following link to the  book trailer for PASTWORLD which is very atmospheric, I'm really looking forward to reading this one:

PASTWORLD Book Trailer 

New to Dot Scribble's Shelves...

I have had such a lovely week, Mr S and I went away to Gozo last weekend with my sister and her husband for the bank holiday weekend. Gozo is a really special place to me as I spent a lot of my childhood there, we had a lovely time, we stayed in a beautiful villa; ate lots of lovely food, sunbathed; had bombing competitions in the pool and of course read some brilliant books! I feel very refreshed which is a good job as I have ALOT of new books to read!

I have two that were sent for review this week:

The Other Girl by Sarah Miller (Bloomsbury- 21st June) Molly McGarry seems to have it all- she' smart, she attends the prestigious Midvale Acadamey and she's finally got the guy of her dreams, Gideon Rayburn. But now everything's changing.
Molly and God got together in a very unusual way, when Molly mysteriously entered Gid's mind and so could 'guess' exaclty what he wanted. By a bizarre twist of fate, Molly suddenly leaves Gid's mind and enters the mind of Pilar Benitez-Jones, possibly the hottest girl in the world. Pilar flirts with Gid. A lot. No longer inside her boyfriend's head, Molly feels life is spiralling out of control. But she realises that being inside Pilar's head has its advantages as she influences Pilar for her own schemes- with ensuing chaos.

Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey (Bloomsbury- 5th July) It's been centuries since Isabeau St. Croix survived the French Revolution. Now she's made her way back to the living, and must face the ultimate test by confronting the evil British lord who turned her into a vampire and left her buried for two hundred years. That's if she can control her affection for Logan Drake, a vampire whose bite is as sweet as the revenge she seeks.

I read the first in the The Drake Chronicles last week and you can read my review here.

I have bought two books from Amazon as well this week but they haven't arrived yet so I shall share those with you next week. However I had a little trip to the library which to be honest doesn't always have a brilliant selection but I was so pleased with my library pile this week, here's what I got:

• You Can't Hide by Karen Rose (Headline)- I have wanted to read a good thriller for a while, I started this one straight away and I have not been disappointed so far!
• The Secret Shopper Unwrapped by Kate Harrison (Orion)- I loved the first one and have been meaning to catch up with this one.
• Forget Me Not by Isabel Wollf (Harper)- I really enjoyed her book Vintage Affair and I have heard very positive things about this one too.
• The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith (Simon & Schuster)- I thought that Child 44 was simply brilliant and this one follows on from that.
• Conjugal Rites by Paul Magrs (Headline)- This is the third in the brilliant Brenda and Effie series and I am looking forward to finding out what trouble they have got into this time.
• One Day In May by Catherine Alliott (Penguin) I have read a couple of books by this author and enjoyed them, this is her latest and looks as though it will be just as good.

So if you have read any of these then let me know your thoughts! It's supposed to be lovely and sunny this weekend so Dot Scribbles will be spending plenty of time in the garden with a good book and maybe a glass of wine or two!

Danielle Trussoni Discussing the Nephilim

The brilliant Angelology is out to buy today, you can read my review of it here. It is one of the best books that I have read so far this year and I have to admit that I am also slightly in love with the cover. Below is an interview with the author Danielle Trussoni, she is talking about the beautiful but savage Nephilim, they are basically the baddies in the story! Enjoy!

Book Review: Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

I have finished Forever Amber, all 972 pages of it! It is the lengthiest book that I have read in a long while and I loved every page of it.

Written by Kathleen Winsor and published in 1944, Forever Amber was considered extremely racy and was banned in 14 US states, however it remains a classic and has gone on to sell over three million copies.

Winsor tells the story of Amber St. Clare, she is 16 and pregnant when she finds herself penniless and abandoned on the unfamiliar streets of London. It is the time of the Restoration, Charles II is in power and London is going through many changes. Amber finds herself alone in the city after following the dashing Lord Bruce Carlton, leaving behind the quiet village life that she had known. Lord Carlton is a constant figure throughout the book, the only man who Amber loves but will never be able to possess fully. Amber has to use her feminine charms and beauty to rise from her sorry state and secure her own future. We follow her through Civil war, the bubonic plague and the great fire of London as she pursues the title of Charles II's favourite mistress and therefore security and wealth.

Kathleen Winsor was American and she had never visited London when she set out to write this great book. She undertook painstaking research over six years in order to recreate the atmosphere of Restoration England. Her thorough research is evident on nearly every page and this is the main reason that I loved the book. I felt as though I had learnt so much and her obvious enthusiasm for the time period is infectious.

Amber St. Clare is a thrilling character, there were chapters where I greatly admired her and others where I would happily have given her a good shake. Amber does everything she can to secure wealth and respectability, however, it is meaningless to Lord Carlton who will never make an honest woman of her due to Amber's lowly position of birth. As a character she embodies the fragile position that women held at the time compared to men. Amber is very cunning and clever yet time after time she suffers set backs due to being female.

The book must have been extremely shocking at the time of publication yet it would be considered mild by today's standards. There are no graphic sex scenes in the book but the behaviour of the characters as they plot and scheme is still shocking to the modern reader.

The descriptions of the Great Fire of London and the Plague are spectacular. Kathleen Winsor captures the terror, pain and sheer stench of death as she describes the impact on the country through the eyes of Amber and those around her.

Forever Amber will now always remain on my book shelf as a firm favourite. I was worried that I would lose interest due to it being so long but I simply could not put it down and I was very disappointed to reach the final page.

Book Review: Love Nest by Julia Llewellyn

I was very lucky to receive a copy of Love Nest by Julia Llewellyn which is published by Penguin on February 4th. It follows the fortunes of four people involved in a house chain. Grace has grown up in the sprawling Chadlicote Manor but after the death of her mother she has to sell in order to settle the huge family debt. Grace wants Chadlicote to be bought by the best possible people but how easy will it be for her to leave and start a brand new life? Karen's husband Phil believes that the manor offers the new life that he has been looking for but Karen has no desire to become a lady of leisure in the country especially when a blast from the past turns up at work. Gemma's sights are are set on Karen's suburban home which is preferable to her and Alex's loft apartment particularly for bringing up the baby that she is longing for. Meanwhile Nick Crex is in one of the UK's latest rock bands and Gemma's flat will take him a step closer to the rock and roll lifestyle that he thinks he should be leading. He falls for the classy estate agent, Lucinda who may not be all that she seems but he is still going to have to explain all of this to Kylie, his devoted childhood sweetheart.

This is the first book I have ready by Julia Llewellyn but I thought that it was fantastic. It is such a good idea to link all of these characters together in this way. Moving house often means that you are at a significant point in your life and the new property often reflects your hopes and dreams for the future. All of these characters are at important junctions in life and I was completely gripped as I found out what decisions and mistakes they would make.

The characters are very believable and I think that Julia Llewellyn covers some tough subjects in an honest and sensitive way. If you have read any of her other books then please let me know if you have any recommendations as I would like to read more.

Book Review: The Seven Secrets of Happiness by Sharon Owens

The lovely people at Penguin sent me Sharon Owen's book, The Seven Secrets of Happiness, it is published today in paperback and well worth a read:

Ruby O'Neill leads a charmed life in a perfect house on an elegant street, married to gorgeous Jonathan who adores her. It is a snowy Christmas Eve and life has even more glitter and sparkle than usual. Ruby blissfully decorates their Christmas tree, dreaming of a romantic holiday season when she and Johnathan will enjoy lovely lie-ins and start the baby she longs for. Then a telephone call shatters her fairytale existence forever. In the New Year Ruby picks herself up and finds comfort in sewing seven exquisite little velvet bags which seem touched by magic. Through them her life is touched by the lives of others and she learns six secrets which begin to thaw her frozen heart. And little does she know she has a guardian angel watching over her. Though wounded himself, he holds in his hands the seventh secret and Ruby's chance of having love blossom again in her life.

The Seven Secrets of Happiness was a really lovely start to my reading year. The story starts off on Christmas Eve and goes through to new year and it really encompasses that feeling of new chances and opportunities that we get when he say goodbye to the year gone by and welcome a new one.
Sharon Owens has created a very believable set of characters. Ruby O'Neill is cautious and sensible and this is mirrored by her best friend Jasmine who pushes her to take some risks and have some fun. I loved how we meet the character of Tom Lavery right at the beginning of the book and get to know him even before Ruby does. Ruby's dysfunctional parents offer both humorous and poignant moments and they bring another element to the story so that we are not solely focused on the events of Ruby's everyday life.
This book deals with love and loss and the ways in which we have to move forward and look to the future. It is the first book by Sharon Owens that I have read but I shall definitely be looking up her other books in the future.

Beautiful, Sparkly book in the post!!!

This came in the post yesterday and I have to say that I am a little bit in love with it!!!!

It is sparkly and there's pink bits and it's by one of my favourite authors!!! I am very excited about reading it and seeing what Marian has in store for us this time but for now I just like to keep looking at it!!