Category: loss
+ fiction, Ghost story, grief, haunting, loss, love, Magical realism, motherhood, mythology, review, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, supernatural, superstition
Ghost Story by Elisa Lodato
She came to write, but the island has its own story . . . Off the windswept coast of Scotland lies Finish Island, rugged and remote. Once a home, it now stands abandoned, a place of dark history and deep memory, a place that holds its stories close. Unable to write since her daughter’s death, it’s here that Seren comes to work, hoping that … Read More Ghost Story by Elisa Lodato
+ crime fiction, female friendship, fiction, friendship, grief, loss, love, murder, review, superstition, thriller, witchcraft
Death Rites by Sarah Ward
Professor Carla James is an archaeologist with an interest in more than just bones and stones. She wants to understand the emotions behind the sites she investigates. Desperate for a change of scene following the death of her husband, Carla takes a job at Jericho, an elite New England college. On her first day, Carla is asked to represent the department at an unusual … Read More Death Rites by Sarah Ward
+ family, fiction, forgiveness, grief, India, jealousy, loss, love, motherhood, murder, review, secrets, sisters
Missy by Raghav Rao
Madras, India: The orphaned girls of St Ursula’s convent are destined to be nuns or servants but seventeen-year-old Savi dreams of escape. Responsible and good with languages, she’s taken on as governess for the wealthy Nandiyar family at their country estate. The horrific events of a single night force Savi and her love, Ananda, into a dangerous journey, re-emerging in America under new identities, … Read More Missy by Raghav Rao
+ alcoholism, childhood, dark humour, domestic noir, family, fiction, forgiveness, haunting, lies, loss, love, mental illness, motherhood, psychiatrist, review
The Guests by Charlotte Stevenson
They weren’t invited. But they refuse to leave… Tamsin is being haunted by unwelcome visitors in her house she calls The Guests. Nobody knows about their presence but her. After confiding in her husband, he left, and she won’t make that mistake again. Genre: ThrillerPublisher: Bloodhound But now her relationship with her teenage daughter Summer is starting to suffer. As each day passes, the … Read More The Guests by Charlotte Stevenson
+ family, fiction, friendship, Ireland, literature, loss, love, review
Heart Be At Peace by Donal Ryan
A stunning lyrical novel from the Number one bestselling author Donal Ryan about love, loss, hope and connection. 2019. Small town rural Island. 21 voices. A standalone novel that can also be read as a companion to Donal Ryan’s multi-award-winning bestseller, The Spinning Heart, voted ‘The Irish Book of the Decade’ ‘I said it before. Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as … Read More Heart Be At Peace by Donal Ryan
+ adoption, charity, female friendship, fiction, friendship, Historical fiction, loss, love, memory, motherhood, rape, review, secrets, Victorian Britain
The House of Hope by Joanne Clague
In the dead of night, a young woman is found on the doorstep of the House of Help for Friendless Girls… Winter 1885. Matron Hetty Barlow suspects Hope is lying when she claims to be suffering from amnesia. The girl is taken in, but it isn’t long before her pregnancy is discovered, which could put the future of the house – a new experiment in dealing … Read More The House of Hope by Joanne Clague
+ Dogs, fiction, friends, friendship, grief, literature, loss, love
LJ Ambrosio Reflections of Michael Q&A
In Book One ‘A Reservoir Man’ we were introduced to Michael. Everywhere Michael turned he saw a Reservoir Man. Michael’s endless trials of survival included sexual assault, the Vietnam War, an arrest in Spain, Hollywood scandal, the AIDS outbreak, 9/11 and beyond. If only Michael could have found the one thing he valued most, his freedom. Michael’s coming-of-age was tarnished by many, but the courage to … Read More LJ Ambrosio Reflections of Michael Q&A
+ alcoholism, childhood, coming-of-age, family, family drama, fiction, grief, loss, love, motherhood, relationships, review, secrets, WW2
Junction of Earth and Sky by Susan Buttenwieser
A sweeping and emotional debut from a dazzling new voice – for fans of The Paper Palace, The Dutch House and Betty. Coming of age in 1940s England, Alice’s life is thrown into chaos under the shadow of the war. Forced to let go of her hopes and dreams, she finds herself uprooted to America and a life she never could have imagined. Decades later, it is … Read More Junction of Earth and Sky by Susan Buttenwieser
+ audio book, family, feel-good, fiction, friendship, loss, love
The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan
When it’s time to face the music, all we can do is dance… Recently widowed Venetia Hamilton Hargreaves is left with a huge house, a bank balance to match and an uneasy feeling that she’s been sleepwalking through the last fifty years. Determined to live fully again, she embraces life with an enthusiasm and purpose she’d forgotten she could muster. Buying the dilapidated Phoenix … Read More The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan
+ 1970s, adoption, Catholic Church, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, grief, Historical fiction, Ireland, loss, motherhood, rape, religion, review, secrets, seventies
The Walk by Emma Marns
‘The two girls sat in the back of the car, their destination unknown and their crimes worse than murder.’ In November 1979, Ailbe and Maire disappear from their rural village in Ireland, never to return. Pregnant out of wedlock, they are now outcasts from society. Genre: Historical fiction / Literary fiction / ContemporaryPublisher: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers Believing they will at least have each other, the girls … Read More The Walk by Emma Marns
+ audio book, feel-good, female friendship, fiction, fifties, friendship, gay, grief, List, loneliness, loss, love, marriage, motherhood, relationships, review, sixties
The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson
The list he left had just one item on it. Or, at least, it did at first… Mabel Beaumont’s husband Arthur loved lists. He’d leave them for her everywhere. ‘Remember: eggs, butter, sugar’. ‘I love you: today, tomorrow, always’. But now Arthur is gone. He died: softly, gently, not making a fuss. But he’s still left her a list. This one has just one … Read More The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson
+ Dogs, fiction, friends, friendship, grief, literature, loss, love
Exiles by LJ Ambrosio (Reflections of Michael Trilogy Book 3)
In this final chapter, Ron’s story concludes from Reflections on the Boulevard (2023). Michael’s wish was for Ron to exile himself in the heart of Paris with its beautiful culture and citizens as they protest and fight for the soul of the city. Ron’s journey is met with life-affirming friendships and lessons along the way. The final book in the Reflections of Michael Trilogy, … Read More Exiles by LJ Ambrosio (Reflections of Michael Trilogy Book 3)
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