Reading this Spring

I’m a bit late with the spring reading this year – and lately it’s felt more like summer. But here we are at the start of June, and now it’s back to normal for the weather. 

Rain or shine, I hope you enjoy your reading and here are some ideas from me…

 

Days When You were Mine by Claire Leslie Hall ****

Alice and Rick are top art students and best friends at the Slade in the 1970s time-line of the story, when Alice meets and falls in love with Jacob, lead singer in a band. But, like Alice, Jake had a difficult childhood and has always struggled with his mental health, and so their life together is not easy.

In the contemporary time-line, Luke is looking for his birth mother, Alice. He and his girlfriend Hannah invite Alice and Rick (now a successful artist) into their lives, and Alice becomes nanny to their son Samuel.

But something is ‘off’ between Luke and Alice. They are not bonding, she will not discuss the circumstances of his birth, and he becomes suspicious that something is wrong. When his suspicions prove to be correct, they must all re-assess their past lives and their relationships. And only when they all face up to the truth, will they be able to start again. An emotionally driven and intense novel. I loved it.

 

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig ***

When retired maths teacher Grace is left a run-down house on the island of Ibiza by a long-lost friend, Christina, she is naturally curious. She hardly knew Christina, and hasn’t heard from her in years. However, following a family tragedy and the loss of her husband, Grace is at a low ebb, and so she is persuade to go to Ibiza and see the place for herself.

Before long, Ibiza casts its spell over Grace. She meets Christina’s daughter, her friend the eccentric Alberto and his charismatic daughter Marta, and she recognises a change in herself and her attitude to adventure. She becomes enmeshed in the environmental concerns of the island, and in things which are impossible to believe, but which nevertheless seem to be possible after all.

Matt Haig is a clever writer who weaves wise, life-affirming lessons into a story of magic realism, all through the eyes of a woman who feels she is ‘nothing special’. But she really is. It isn’t a huge leap to understand what Haig is telling us about living life to the full, not being trapped by guilt and believing in the impossible… But the reader must put aside their disbelief in order to go on this journey. This book isn’t for everyone and the message is sometimes forced home, but the writing is clever and funny, and the message is thought-provoking and sincere.

 

The Home-Made God by Rachel Joyce ****+ (Book of the Season)

In this fascinating and insightful study of sibling/family relationships, Netta is tough on the outside and says what she thinks, Susan is used to accepting second-best, Gustav is vulnerable following a nervous breakdown and Iris is fed up with being ‘the baby of the family’. The siblings are very close following the death of their mother, and they all adore their father Vic Kemp, commercial artist of what could be viewed as erotic artistic images. These have found success on a commercial scale – but is Vic the great and memorable artist he longs to be?

The trigger for a changing family dynamic comes when Vic meets Bella-Mae online and falls for her – a woman twenty-seven years his junior. Vic changes – he stops drinking and starts losing weight, to a worrying degree, and the siblings are even more concerned when not only are they not allowed to meet the mysterious love of his life, but Vic announces that they are getting married.

Much of the story takes place on the atmospheric Lake Orta in Italy, and it is to this location of idyllic childhood family holidays, that they all gather when tragedy strikes. At last, they get to meet Bella-Mae – but who is she really and what has she done? As the siblings try to find out and deal with their grief, relationships splinter, old grievances come to the fore and they finally fall out – perhaps for ever…

What they have discovered sends them all off on very different and separate journeys and it is only when Gustav’s life changes dramatically and he reaches out to them once more, that they again have the chance to re-connect.

I loved this story. The book works on several different levels, and Rachel Joyce introduces a change of perspective structure which is thought-provoking and original. Best of all, the book makes you think about family dynamics and about what can be created and destroyed by a strong personality – in this case: a home-made God. Highly recommended.

 

What You Did by Claire McGowan ***+

When Ali organises a re-union of her university friends: her husband Mike and Ali herself, Mike’s best friend Callum and heavily pregnant wife Jodi, Bill (who always had a thing for Ali) and Karen (Ali’s best friend) she thinks the biggest thing she has to worry about is the tagine she is cooking for them. Not so. University reminiscences (boring to Ali and Mike’s kids Cassie and Benji and Karen’s son Jake) mix into a dangerous cocktail when added to alcohol.

So… What happened to Karen late that night on the lawn and who was responsible? Does it have anything to do with an unsolved murder back in their uni days when not one but three of them lied to the police in order to ‘save’ their friends? And finally – when the truth emerges, can Ali and Mike’s marriage possibly survive?

Written mostly from the viewpoint of Ali, Claire McGowan chooses to include several other perspectives at key points in the novel, for the purposes of explanation and full disclosure. These are not always fully convincing, reading as ‘add ons’ but they do provide a break from Ali’s relentless self-questioning.

The novel is gripping from start to finish and so it’s easy to forgive some inconsistencies and unlikely plot issues. The pace is fast and the novel excels at page-turnability. I couldn’t put it down…

 

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas ***+

Our main narrator is Jess, a reporter on a local paper in Bristol. We learn that she left her last job in disgrace (but not why – that comes later) and it is this secret that comes between Jess and her boyfriend Rory and threatens their relationship.

Jess has other secrets too. When a murder is committed in nearby Tilby, she is sent to cover the story, because the suspect (in a coma, because she tried unsuccessfully to take her own life) Heather, used to be her best friend. Heather is suspected of killing Clive Wilson and his mother Deirdre, but Jess is flummoxed as to why she might have done it, and since Heather is (rather conveniently) unable to speak, no one can question her.

But can Jess hear the story from Heather’s mother’s perspective and get herself a scoop? It seems unlikely, since Jess and Heather’s friendship ended on a bitter note just after Heather’s sister Freya disappeared, never to be seen again.

This is a cue for a second timeline to enter the fray as we learn more about the events surrounding Freya’s disappearance, when Jess and Heather were besties. Heather’s mother insists that Heather is innocent, gentle and incapable of murder. But it seems that there are more secrets to be revealed, until Jess (and the reader) can gradually piece together what has happened.

The book is cleverly plotted by Claire Douglas and the characters feel well-rounded, although at times I wanted to shake them. However, the novel is well-paced and a good read.

 

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros ***+

When Ella’s brother Ryan (who is in the Special Forces) suggests that she writes to his team-mate Chaos, he begins the chain of events that make up this story. Ella, single mother of five-year-old twins Maisie and Colt, owns ‘Solitude’ a holiday chalet/cabin business in Colorado bequeathed to her by her beloved grandmother. But in order to renovate ‘Solitude’ and make it into a successful business, Ella has had to borrow, re-mortgage and crucially cut down on her health insurance, which becomes a problem when one of her children falls ill.

Ella and Chaos begin a correspondence based on honesty and saying what they think; this provides a much-needed opportunity for each to off-load on to the other. It also, unexpectedly, provides a springboard for love. But when something bad happens, how will they cope? And will these two ever get to meet in real life?

The story is written from the two viewpoints of Chaos and Ella and it is an intense and emotive read. I recommend you keep a box of tissues on hand.

 

 

 

On the short-list…

It was a great honour to hear that ‘The Italian Flame’ has been short-listed for the RONA Contemporary Romance novel of the year award in 2026.

‘The Flame’ was such an enjoyable novel to write – not least because it’s set both in West Dorset where I live and one of my favourite parts of Italy. Liguria’s coastline is known as the ‘Italian Riviera’ – and with good reason: the Mediterranean sea is framed by cypress trees, umbrella pines, olive groves and juniper trees and the air is scented with fresh lemons and wild thyme.

My research trip for the book took me on a journey by train and bus, starting at Camogli and ending in Tellaro.

I completely fell in love with Camgoli, which was new to me. It’s a picturesque fishing village comprising a network of narrow steps and cobbled alleyways lined with higgledy-piggledy buildings painted in vibrant yellow, ochre and tangerines. The marina is full of colourful little boats and gorgeous seafood restaurants.

Tellaro is perched on a cliff on the east coast of the Gulf of La Spezia. It’s another small fishing village, a favourite destination for writers and artists over the years, and I can see why. If you walk down the stepped alleyways towards the sea, you come to a dusky pink bell-tower, sitting high above the rocks. Stand there and look out to sea and you will feel it wash over you: peace and beauty. I just had to locate Josefine’s café in Tellaro (though it is re-named in the book!).

The story of ‘The Italian Flame’ also comprises a journey for Lily. She is looking for her half-sister Josefine who was adopted and whose family moved to Italy. But Lily soon finds out that not everyone who has been adopted wants to be found…

It is also, of course, a romance. I enjoy writing love stories – not just what builds between two people who will become lovers, but also the love stories that exist within families and friendship groups – the joy of all sorts of relationships, some of which may need some sorting out because of what has happened in the past. I love writing emotional drama and exploring people’s interior lives and how they relate to others. It’s what makes the world go round, I suppose…

So I would like to thank the RNA and all the judges and readers who have voted for ‘The Italian Flame’ and put it on the short-listed map. And good luck to all the other authors in all the categories who have been singled out for the 2026 awards. I salute you!

Reading for the Rain

Yes, this winter it has rained – a lot. So what better reason could you find for settling down with a good book or two? These are the books I have been enjoying while it’s been raining outside…

Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain ****

Chamberlain’s writing is always deep and thought-provoking and this novel is no exception.

Laura Brandon, successful astronomer, lives with her young daughter Emma and her husband Ray. Ray is not Emma’s biological father; he was a friend who offered to marry Laura when she was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby, but felt vulnerable and insecure.

Just before Laura’s father Carl dies, at the start of this story, he asks Laura to look after Sarah Tolley, a woman she has never heard him mention before, who lives in a nearby retirement home. Laura starts visiting her, to respect his dying wish, despite being warned off by her husband, her husband’s brother and later, by anonymous letters.

Sarah has the beginnings of Alzheimer’s Disease, but through her long-term memories, we learn her story, as Laura gradually begins to piece together the whole picture, and the reason her father asked her to look out for Sarah becomes clear.

It is an interesting journey, which takes the reader to the stars and the skies – through a telescope and a hot-air balloon – although there are some disturbing elements, for example how certain institutions dealt with mental health in the name of research in the 1950s and 1960s, and also the trauma of PTSD and mutism.

Fascinating and highly readable.

 

Our Holiday by Louise Candlish ***+

As usual, Louise Candlish takes a cast of upper-middle class Londoners, and this time, places them on holiday in Dorset. However, the locals don’t want them there. A group: NJFA (not just for August) are objecting to the fact that these well-to-do Londoners own second homes in prime positions in their part of Dorset, and yet are hardly ever there, while some young locals live in caravans because there are no local homes cheap enough for them to rent or buy.

Tensions rise, not just between the holidaymakers themselves, but between NJFA and the Londoners. And then disaster strikes. At first, it seems to be a relatively simple matter of destruction of property, but it turns out that someone died – and that wasn’t meant to happen at all…

The book is well-written, of course, and Candlish’s novels always sizzle with tension, but I have to say, there wasn’t one character I found remotely appealing. Even so, I still found it a good read.

 

Question 7 by Richard Salinger ***

This one is part autobiography, part history, part re-construction, part existentialism… all based on the premis of ‘Question Seven’ which is, according to Chekov – ‘who lives longest, a man or a woman?’ Pretty much an unanswerable question.

Equally unanswerable, is the conundrum in which the narrator finds himself. His father was a POW in Japan. If Hiroshima had not happened, his father would have died and the author would not have been born. Similarly, if Rebecca West had not kissed HG Wells, and he had not in consequence written a certain book, then the atomic bomb might never have been built (or so says the author).

If all this sounds rather confusing, then you will have to read the book to try and make sense of it. I found it interesting, informative, not my usual type of read, but a challenge I quite enjoyed.

 

Pictures of Him by Claire Leslie Hall ***+

This was Claire’s first published novel – and there are similarities to the successful Broken Country. For starters, it’s intense and it’s a love story…

It is set in three time-frames using the viewpoints of Catherine and Lucian. Theirs is the love story to beat all love stories – they are soul-mates and they can’t get enough of each other. But… when something goes wrong, Catherine leaves without explanation and both of them must bear the consequences.

Lucian goes on to suffer from depression and near alcoholism, while Catherine runs away by marrying loyal, dependable Sam and having children with him. She does not want to dwell on the events that caused her and Lucian to break-up, but circumstances catapult them back together, with an even more dramatic break-up this time.

The moral perhaps is that until you really deal with the past, you can’t move on. It’s well-written, of course, and is an immersive read, but very sad, so have a box of tissues by your side.

 

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell ****+

Lisa Jewell does it again in a fast-moving, gripping, domestic noir of a plot.

When Alex’s father Paddy dies, Alex and her mother Nina are thrown into grief. However, an old colleague of Paddy’s gets in touch, and before long, he and Nina have become an item, which for Alex, is very hard to take.

Meantime, new characters enter the fray with their own story-lines, and gradually, the connection becomes clear.

This is not one for the faint-hearted, but it has an excellent moral – be careful who you let into your life. Be wary. If they seem to be too good to be true, then they probably are.

Lisa Jewell expertly weaves her story-lines into one connective narrative, until finally the truth emerges. I totally could not put it down. Highly recommended.

 

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister ****+

Clever, clever, clever. This is a dual viewpoint novel written in two time-frames seven years apart, and set in London.

Cam is introverted by nature. She works as a literary agent, and is happily married to extrovert Luke (a ghost-writer, whom she also represents) with whom she has a young daughter, Polly. But on the day that Cam is due to return to work after maternity leave, she wakes up, and Luke isn’t there. He has left her a note, which says very little, and the next thing she knows… he is featuring in a real-life hostage/ siege situation nearby, and the police are involved.

Cam has always considered Luke to be one of the good guys. And so, seven years later, she is still struggling to come to terms with what has happened, still trying to move on. She has no idea if Luke is alive or dead, but she cannot forget him.

Meanwhile, Niall, the hostage negotiator, is fighting his own personal demons. He got it very wrong with Luke, and seven years later, he is still trying to discover the truth.

McAllister expertly lays clues along the way; the book is multi-layered and gripping. In her hands, this strange situation seems authentic and believable, and her main characters are warm and complex, making this an emotive read as well as a fast-paced one. Very highly recommended.