August wasn’t a happy or productive month for me. Winter often affects my mood and August is winter in Australia.This was our wettest winter in over thirty years. Additionally, there was a family bereavement , numerous and expensive vet visits for my diabetic cat and if that wasn’t, enough there were low temperatures as well as almost continuous rain.

Do you find that the weather influences your mood? I believe Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD syndrome is real. The TV shows, mostly repeats held little appeal, so once again, I turned to books.

[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://soniabellhouse.blog/wp-conten..." data-large-file="https://soniabellhouse.blog/wp-conten..." src="https://soniabellhouse.blog/wp-conten..." alt="" class="wp-image-8728" />Would you disturb him to get a book? Just One Taste by Lizzie Dent .

“I love, love, love Lizzy Dent.”—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Olive Stone is about to spend four weeks in Italy with the most beautiful man she’s ever hated.

When Olive Stone and her Italian pseudo-celebrity chef father fell out fourteen years ago, annoyingly handsome Leo Ricci slipped right in as his surrogate son and sous-chef. No one is more surprised than Olive when her father wills her his beloved (and now failing) restaurant. Or that his dying wish was for Olive and Leo to complete his cookbook…together.

She’s determined to sell the restaurant. Leo is determined to convince her not to. As they embark on four weeks in Italy, traveling from Sicily to Tuscany to Liguria, they’ll test each other as often as they test recipes. But the more time Olive and Leo spend together the more undeniable their attraction grows. Olive finds herself wondering whether selling the restaurant might be running away, and what it might be like to try Just One Taste of Leo Ricci. Because he isn’t who she expected, and this trip might reveal more about who Olive is than she’s ready for.

My Review.

If you enjoy a good “enemies to lovers’ “ story, then this will appeal. Add to that those  stunning descriptions of  regional Italy and the mouthwatering  food. For Olive the  trip is a necessity to fulfill her father’s wishes, it doesn’t mean she has to enjoy it, or to like Leo. However unwillingly she does start to appreciate Leo’s good qualities and feel a growing attraction between them.Maybe  just one taste of  Leo’s lovemaking will satisfy her curiosity?

The Stranger Times by C.K Mc Donnel l, Caimh Mc Donnell

Stranger Times 1

There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular), so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them…

A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable. At least that’s their pitch. The reality is less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered, and foul-mouthed husk of a man who thinks little of the publication he edits. His staff are a ragtag group of misfits. And as for the assistant editor… well, that job is a revolving door–and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who’s got problems of her own.

When tragedy strikes in Hannah’s first week on the job, The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious investigating. What they discover leads to a shocking realisation: some of the stories they’d previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker forces than they could ever have imagined.

432 pages, Paperback

My Review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It is cleverly written and the premise that all those odd things reported in the wackier press are true, plays into our love of conspiracy theories. But it’s cold , all at one emotional pitch-which feels very much like newspaper reporting. Of course, this may have been a deliberate stylistic choice, but it doesn’t tempt me to continue with the series,

Foul Play at Seal Bay by Judy Leigh .

Morwenna Mutton Mystery 1

A brand-new series perfect for Richard Osman readers and all fans of a page-turning whodunnit.

 It was meant to be the start of quiet season in the sleepy Cornish village of Seal Bay, but not for sexagenarian librarian and wild swimming enthusiast Morwenna Mutton. Because when a local businessman is found on the beach with a bread knife is his back, bungling police officer DI Rick Tremayne is soon out of his depth. Morwenna knows it’s going to be down to her to crack the case.
The list of people the victim upset is long, the evidence is slight, and an arrest illusive. Morwenna has plenty to occupy her time what with ghostly goings-on at the library and skulduggery at her granddaughter’s school, but she could never resist a challenge. And even the most ruthless of murderers should quake at the sight of this amateur sleuth getting on her bike to track them down.
If you love Miss Marple and The Thursday Murder Club, then you’ll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries.

My Review,

The start of a new series by popular author Judy Leigh, so of course, there is quite a lot of “set up” involved. It’s easy reading, although at times it feels a bit repetitive. Heavy footed detective  DI Rick Tremayne is almost a cartoon cop. I guessed the solution and was proved right.

Second Act at Appleton Green: An absolutely heartwarming and uplifting romance about family, love and starting over by Kate Forster.

When the curtains close, a new beginning waits in the wings

After losing her voice before the audition of a lifetime, West End hopeful Lily Baxter flees to the one place that’s always felt like her grandmother Violet’s cosy cottage in the heart of Appleton Green.

Violet is overjoyed to have Lily back under her roof, even if it’s not under the happiest of circumstances. As Lily muddles through lost dreams and what-ifs, Violet is quietly nursing her own worries-and hoping this unexpected visit might help them both them heal.

When charming local nurse Nick encourages Lily to join the village’s amateur dramatics group, she reluctantly agrees – and soon finds herself swept up in script readings, prop-painting parties, and something that feels a lot like falling in love.

As opening night draws near, Lily must decide where her heart truly back in the bright lights of London, or centre stage in Appleton Green.

My Review,

Lily seems to be living her dream, getting call backs to audition for roles she wants. When her voice deserts her ,so does her confidence. She needs comfort and sanctuary and finds it with her perceptive grandmother Violet in Appleton Green. The two have always shared a deep bond of understanding.
It’s time for Lily to decide what her future holds, what she wants. The village has ( mostly) taken her to their heart. And there is local nurse Nick, who supports and encourages her. Yet, even in the village there is rivalry and jealousy. Does Lily want a lead role on stage, or something different in her life? Time to choose.
I enjoyed this book for the lovely relationship between Lily and her grandmother, Violet. Her relationship with her mother struck a chord and of course, I felt just a little bit in love with Nick!

Thanks to Net galley for an advance copy.I read this  earlier in the year. I couldn’t release my review until now.

The Duke’s Runaway Bride by Jenni Fletcher.

Regency Belles of Bath  3

When Beatrix, Duchess of Howden, writes to her estranged husband offering a divorce, she’s stunned when he arrives on her doorstep with a different proposition: a six-week marriage trial! Quinton Roxbury seems cold and inscrutable, but Beatrix gradually realizes his rough exterior hides a heavy burden. As their connection deepens, dare she trust him with her own scandalous past and risk the marriage she never knew she wanted?

My Review.

An easy-to-read enemies to lovers with enough hesitancy make it interesting.

The Return of Her Long-Lost Husband by Joanna Johnson

A husband’s redemption…
A second chance at love?

Nathaniel Honeywell returns from being presumed dead expecting to be welcomed home with open arms. He’s shocked when his wife, Hester, isn’t pleased to see him! But Nathaniel can’t blame Hester for believing he abandoned her when she needed him most… During their marriage, he foolishly valued money over his wife. Now his experiences have left him a changed man, and as the simmering attraction between them grows, Nathaniel is determined to prove it!

My Review.

Couldn’t help but feel for Hester over the return  of her thick-headed husband. Then, her happiness in discovering him a changed man.  Hints of his past suffering…and why his character changed. All good .Then, I lost patience with Nathaniel ..

Starting September with a more optimistic frame of mind , a cat to cuddle and of course, a heap of new books to enjoy. Do you read more in winter?