The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde
The wonderfully romantic new novel from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Recipe for Love.
Three years ago Bella Castle left her home town nursing a broken heart over Dominic Thane, the man she fell in love with but couldn’t have …
Now she’s made a new life for herself in the country, working as an estate agent.
Bella loves her job and she loves her boyfriend Nevil. But recently he’s been preoccupied, and she’s starting to question if his future hopes and dreams are a perfect match for hers.
And when Dominic turns up unexpectedly in search of his dream house, she begins to wonder if home is really where the heart is. But she’s over him, isn’t she?
This was a highly anticipated book for myself. I really enjoyed it. I loved the secondary story lines and wanted a bit more of that.
I don’t know if I agree with some of Bella’s actions and at times I found her to be a bit of a scaredy cat. I wanted to yell at her to stop being such a door mat. I think perhaps that is part of Bella’s charm because it is a journey for her- to find her inner strength.
The Perfect Match is a very enjoyable read and just the perfect book to take on holiday or to curl up on the couch with.
The Herb Gardener by Maris Morton
Still hurting after a painful divorce, Joanna leaves the city, moving with her six-year-old daughter Mia to a country town. She’s looking for a better, happier life, and when she meets farmer Chris Youngman, she discovers the possibility of a future as a farmer’s wife.
Joanna is at first dismayed by the unexpected isolation of the farm, but Chris’s affection helps her to adjust. Then the unexplained death of a young farm worker brings complications she could never have imagined, and Joanna has to fight for her happiness, her family, and even her own life.
I am a big fan of Australian fiction and this book exceeded expectations. It was the perfect blend of mystery and romance. From the start you are dropped right in the middle of the action. Slowly you get to know these characters by deed and reaction; It is very refreshing not always to have to be told.
The countryside is beautifully described and comes alive on the page. It made me want to look up Berricap on a map to see if that town really exists.
The Herb Gardener is one of those book that the sub plots are so tightly knitted together that everything mergers with the main plot and keeps you riveted right until the end. It is really hard not to give anything away, but this book has one of the most unique endings I have ever read before.
This is an undiscovered gem of Australian fiction, as well as being a great mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
A Heart bent out of shape by Emylia Hall
For Hadley Dunn, life so far has been uneventful—no great loves, no searing losses. But that’s before she decides to spend a year studying in the glittering Swiss city of Lausanne, a place that feels alive with promise. Here Hadley meets Kristina, a beautiful but elusive Danish girl, and the two quickly form the strongest of bonds. Yet one November night, as the first snows of winter arrive, tragedy strikes.
Hadley, left reeling and guilt-stricken, begins to lean on the only other person to whom she feels close, her American Literature professor Joel Wilson. But as the pair try to uncover the truth of what happened that night, their tentative friendship heads into forbidden territory. And before long a line is irrevocably crossed, everything changes, and two already complicated lives take an even more dangerous course…
A heart bent out of shape is set in Lausanne Switzerland and offers the most breath-taking frosty setting. It is a slow burning mystery with plenty of sub plots. The characters are so beautifully crafted that you are immediately drawn into the story.
Hadley is a true representation of a young woman off on her own in the world alone for the first time. It is also a great depiction of the bonds and friendships that she forms along the way.
A Heart bent out of shape is a wonderfully crafted book with an amazing setting. This book has it all: suspense, mystery, friendship, first love and a young woman finding her place in the world.
The heart of the book is a mystery. Like all great mysteries, this one keeps you guessing right until the end. I highly recommend this book. It is an excellent read.
Elder Park Book Reviews 