The Lavender Garden

Lucinda Riley

The internationally bestselling author of The Orchid House takes readers from Nazi-occupied Paris to the contemporary glamour of the Cote D’Azur in an emotionally gripping novel of love, duty, and desire.

With her dazzling novels The Orchid House and The Girl on the Cliff, Lucinda Riley effortlessly transported readers between distant times and locations and earned accolades from reviewers and readers around the world. In The Lavender Garden, her most powerful novel so far, she tells the mesmerizing tale of heroism and betrayal inside an aristocratic French family across half a century.

Le Cote d’Azur, 1998: In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martinieres, the last of her gilded line, finds herself the sole inheritor of her childhood home, a magnificent chateau and vineyard. With the house comes a mountain of debt—and almost as many questions: What was the purpose of the secret room she finds hidden beneath the wine cellars? Why did her beloved father never speak of his decorated service in Word War II? Why has Emilie always felt at odds with her own family background?

Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent to Paris to be part of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance, she stumbles into the heart of a wealthy, socially prominent family who regularly entertain members of the German elite even as they plot to liberate France. In a city rife with collaborators and brave members of the Resistance, Constance’s most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.

As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the chateau itself may provide clues that can unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future. (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

I must say, I really liked this story. Lot’s of breath holding suspense, especially with regards to Constance’s part of the story. The where certainly times that I wanted to smack Emilie for her naivete. Geesh - how stupid can you be? But in the context of her character, I decided here behavior was understandable. As I always say, when a character makes me react in some way - good or bad - the author must be doing something right!

This is the first book I have read by Ms Riley. I liked the way she pulled it all together at the end. There was one surprise that I did not see coming. I very much enjoyed her writing style and have already added her two other books to my reading list.

My thanks to Atria Books, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: June 11, 2013.

Table for Seven

Whitney Gaskell

On New Year’s Eve, Fran and Will Parrish host a dinner party, serving their friends a gourmet feast. The night is such a success that the group decides to form a monthly dinner party club. But what starts as an excuse to enjoy the company of fellow foodies ends up having lasting repercussions on each member of the Table for Seven Dinner Party Club.

Fran and Will face the possibility that their comfortable marriage may not be as infallible as they once thought. Audrey has to figure out how to move on and start a new life after the untimely death of her young husband. Perfectionist Jaime suspects that her husband, Mark, might be having an affair. Coop, a flirtatious bachelor who never commits to a third date, is blindsided when he falls in love for the first time. Leland, a widower, is a wise counselor and firm believer that bacon makes everything taste better.

Over the course of a year, against a backdrop of mouthwatering meals, relationships are forged, marriages are tested, and the members of the Table for Seven Dinner Party Club find their lives forever changed. (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

The last few books I’ve read have been set during times of war and I felt I needed a break from this tense setting. I was looking for something light and easy to read. Often funny, sometimes sad, this book was just what I needed.

I think the author did a good job representing the relationship between the seven people involved in this tale. This was an interesting mix of personalities. I’m glad the author included in the group both married and single people. I loved the addition of Leland, an elderly neighbor who was wise and intuitive. The book was a bit predictable and you know what? Sometimes predicatable is just fine.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group/Bantam, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: April 23, 2013.

I'll Be Seeing You

Suzanne Hayes, Loretta Nyhan

　

Written literally in correspondence style between two authors who haven’t met, I’ll Be Seeing You is an original and heartfelt story that takes place between two women during World War II.

"I hope this letter gets to you quickly. We are always waiting, aren't we? Perhaps the greatest gift this war has given us is the anticipation..."

It's January 1943 when Rita Vincenzo receives her first letter from Glory Whitehall. Glory is an effervescent young mother, impulsive and free as a bird. Rita is a sensible professor's wife with a love of gardening and a generous, old soul. Glory comes from New England society; Rita lives in Iowa, trying to make ends meet. They have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are fighting in a war a world away from home.

Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, Glory and Rita begin a remarkable correspondence. The friendship forged by their letters allows them to survive the loneliness and uncertainty of waiting on the home front, and gives them the courage to face the battles raging in their very own backyards. Connected across the country by the lifeline of the written word, each woman finds her life profoundly altered by the other's unwavering support.

A collaboration of two authors whose own beautiful story mirrors that on the page, I'll Be Seeing You is a deeply moving union of style and charm. Filled with unforgettable characters and grace, it is a timeless celebration of friendship and the strength and solidarity of women (from Netgalley)

　

My Thoughts

　

Oh how I enjoyed the past few days getting to know Rita and Glory. I really liked how this story was written. Through their exchange of letters, we get to see both women grow and change. They support each other through their struggles and sadness, through the good times and the bad, through times of uncertainties and loneliness. What a special bond they developed.

I’m a bit sad to have to say goodbye to these two women. The authors did such a great job of making them seem real. I think the way the authors collaborated to write the book made the story ring true.

I would like to thank Harlequin Publishing, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: May 28, 2013.

He's Gone: A Novel

Deb Caletti

What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?”

The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she’s surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He’s gone.

As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations—he’s hurt, he’s run off, he’s been killed—Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can—and cannot—remember. As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth—about herself, her husband, and their lives together.(from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

I tell you what, I held my breath right to the very end on this one. The author did a great job of keeping the suspense going all through the book. As I was getting close to the end I kept thinking “holy crap - really? Is this what Dani did?” (Of course I can’t tell you what that means or what the answer is.)

I know one, thing, I did not like Ian. He starts out looking like a lost soul, but as we read through the story - not so much. I liked the way the author was truthful about the relationship between Dani and Ian. It felt honest and real.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group/Bantam, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: May 21, 2013.