Month: April 2018

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Guest Review: The Lucky Galah – Tracy Sorensen

The Lucky Galah

The Lucky Galah

Tracy Sorensen

Pan Macmillan AU

ISBN: 9781760552657

Description:

It’s 1969 and a remote coastal town in Western Australia is poised to play a pivotal part in the moon landing. Perched on the red dunes of its outskirts looms the great Dish: a relay for messages between Apollo 11 and Houston, Texas. Crouched around a single grainy set, radar technician Evan Johnson and his colleagues stare at the screen, transfixed, as Armstrong takes that first small step.

I was in my cage of course, unheard, underestimated, biscuit crumbs on my beak. But fate is a curious thing. For just as Evan Johnson’s story is about to end (and perhaps with a giant leap), my story prepares to take flight…

The Lucky Galah is a novel about fate. About Australia. About what it means to be human. It just happens to be narrated by a galah called Lucky.

 

Brenda’s Review:

Evan and Linda Johnson and their young daughter Jo drove from Melbourne to the small town of Port Badminton in Western Australia for Evan to take up the position of radar technician, communicating between Apollo 11 and Houston, Texas. It was the 1960s and the Moon landing was imminent – the installation of the gigantic Dish caused great discussion among the residents…

The Johnson’s moved into a home two down from the Kelly family. The children would become great friends – Marjorie and Linda became unlikely friends. Enter “Cocky” when Kevin Kelly acquired the galah as a pet for his children. Caged and untended, Lucky began her narration of the life and perks of her humans and own flock high above. And Lucky discovered her communication with the Dish – something all galahs were able to do apparently.

As life moved inexorably toward events already written, Lucky continued to keep the readers up to date with the sometime hilarious, always insightful comments whilst drinking tea and eating biscuits with Lizzie 😊

What a quirky, original and fascinating novel by debut writer Tracy Sorensen! The Lucky Galah captivated me from the start to the finish with its complete difference. I loved Lucky as we discovered her (yes she’s a female!) life story from tiny chick to how she became part of Lizzie’s life. Highly recommended – 4 stars.

With thanks to Pan Macmillan AU for my ARC to read and review.

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What a Difference a Day Makes

Some of you may have noticed my recent lack of presence. It has been a particularly difficult few months for our family dealing with 4 deaths in a matter of weeks. I have taken a few months break from reading and reviewing, I just haven’t been able to concentrate.  But I will be back…I think.

 

At the moment we are on short caravaning holiday – a time to refresh and regroup.

 

What a difference a day makes- The Porongurup Range – Great Southern Region of Western Australia.

 

Big thanks to Brenda for providing content to keep the blog running.

 

 

 

 

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Friday Freebie: Call to Arms – Rachel Amphlett

Call to Arms

 

The talented and generous Rachel Amphlett has offered 3 readers of my blog a chance to win an ebook (Kindle or ePub) copy of her latest release  Call to Arms  – which is book five in her Kay Hunter series. Check out Brenda’s 5star review of Call to Arms here:   https://wp.me/p3aMo4-39H

To enter, simply pop over to Rachel’s website www.rachelamphlett.com   and check out the Kay Hunter Series page and in the comments section of this post identify another title in the Kay Hunter series. Easy isnt it?

 

This giveaway will be open until the 16th of April 2018. Good luck.

 

 

***Pam, Anne and Lesley – congratulations you are the lucky winners. I have emailed Rachel your  contact details. Let me know via a comment on this page how you enjoyed the book.  ***

 

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Guest Review: Call to Arms – Rachel Amphlett

Call to Arms

Call to Arms

Rachel Amphlett

Saxon Publishing

ISBN: 9780648235521

Description:

Loyalty has a price.

Kay Hunter has survived a vicious attack at the hands of one of the country’s most evil serial killers.

Returning to work after an enforced absence to recover, she discovers she wasn’t the only victim of that investigation.

DI Devon Sharp remains suspended from duties, and the team is in turmoil.

Determined to prove herself once more and clear his name, Kay undertakes to solve a cold case that links Sharp to his accuser.

But, as she gets closer to the truth, she realises her enquiries could do more harm than good.

Torn between protecting her mentor and finding out the truth, the consequences of Kay’s enquiries will reach far beyond her new role…

 

Brenda’s Review:

Detective Kay Hunter was going mad with the enforced recuperation time after the attack which had almost killed her and when she finally convinced the powers that be that she was fine to return to work – a month earlier than recommended – Kay then had to sit at a desk with paperwork as her companion. More boredom. But her Detective Inspector, Devon Sharp had been suspended from duties and was being investigated. Kay was determined to clear her boss’ name and get him back to the job he did best, and it was a ten-year-old cold case which had connections to both Sharp and the accuser which she tackled.

With Kay’s small team by her side, they re-interviewed old witnesses, found new evidence and gradually moved closer to secrets which had been buried for many years. Secrets which could hurt many. But Kay was driven in her desire to clear Sharp and find the answers; to find justice for the man who’d died all those years before…

What would be the outcome for Kay and her team in this case? Would they find the answers needed? Was Kay’s new position in jeopardy already?

Call to Arms by Aussie author Rachel Amphlett is the 5th in the Detective Kay Hunter series, and another riveting tale. I loved how Kay worked without having to answer to a boss; how her stubbornness and authority came through, but when she arrived home to Adam, another side of her emerged. Kay Hunter is a well-crafted, extremely likeable character, and her cases are electric! Set in country England – Maidstone in Kent – the author has given us a small connection to Australia as well. I thoroughly enjoy this series and can’t wait for the next! Highly recommended 5 star read.

With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read and review.

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Guest Review: Coming Home to Island House – Erica James

Coming Home to Island House

 

Coming Home to Island House

Erica James

Orion

ISBN: 9781409159605

Description:

The captivating new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James.

It’s the summer of 1939, and after touring an unsettled Europe to promote her latest book, Romily Temple returns home to Island House and the love of her life, the charismatic Jack Devereux.

But when Jack falls ill, his estranged family are called home and given seven days to find a way to bury their resentments and come together.

With war now declared, each member of the family is reluctantly forced to accept their new stepmother and confront their own shortcomings. But can the habits of a lifetime be changed in one week? And can Romily, a woman who thrives on adventure, cope with the life that has been so unexpectedly thrust upon her?

 

Brenda’s Review:

Romily Temple returned home to Island House after her tour of Europe, where she was promoting her latest crime novel, to discover her new husband and greatest love, Jack Devereux, gravely ill. Jack’s best friend, lawyer Roddy Fitzwilliam was tasked with sending messages to Jack’s estranged family, calling them home, where Jack hoped to make amends for his mistakes of the past.

The necessity was that siblings Hope, Kit and Arthur, plus their cousin Allegra, were to spend a week together at Island House, getting to know one another once again, and to forgive the issues that had driven them all apart those many years ago. Could they do it? There would be a lot of adjusting to be done, and with war imminent, change was happening…

Romily was an adventurous spirit; probably one of the reasons Jack had fallen in love with her – but was she up to the sudden change in her life?

Beautifully written historical drama, Coming Home to Island House is my first by author Erica James, and won’t be my last! Set between August 1939 and December 1940, WWII impacted heavily on the characters, as well as past grievances, forgiveness and love. I was completely enthralled by this novel, which was both heartbreaking and heartwarming and I have no hesitation in recommending this 5 star read highly. I’d like to thank Maggie for the recommendation as well 🙂

With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read and review.