The Little Island Flower Stall by Tilly Tennant

I loved this story! The perfect “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” kind of feel-good page-turner.

Bella discovers that her husband of 15 years is a *** cheater and decides to leave him for good. This is her journey to self-discovery, and you’ll find yourself rooting for her heart and soul to heal. 

At the same time, her 93-year-old great-aunt suffers an injury and needs help keeping her seaside flower stall running, so Bella jumps at the opportunity and visits her, rediscovering her childhood memories on the British island of Jersey. With the life-wisdom and loving support of her great-aunt, Bella finds herself standing tall very soon–holding her head high, as it should be.

I loved the historic background and discovering the island’s fight to defeat the Nazis that invaded their land. It adds to the typical rom-com and wraps it in a light mystery that I was completely grateful for. I must say that I like learning something new from each book I read, and this tale delivered.

I also enjoyed Bella’s internal struggle about her situation, and although she jumps straight into this new relationship with a complete stranger, it feels fluid, and she does it with some sense.

The love interest’s plot itself is quite original, although predictable; however, it’s cozy and mysterious, that ends in a moving way, full of heart.

The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer

This is a story about Dora, a florist who lives in London with her only family, her aunt Lenny. One day, a creepy guy called George appears in her shop and raises all kinds of red flags for her aunt, who convinces Dora to go visit Salem.

There she finds not only that they are witches, but that she has two more family members, a beloved pet and a long-lost love.

With their help, she embarks on a voyage of self-discovery and the process of learning about her blocked magic powers. She has to do it fast in order to recover the book that will save them from a curse to relive their lives over and over, hunted by the witch-hunter, George Corwin.

I highly enjoyed the story, it is very entertaining and fun in the right places.

There are flashbacks to tell the story about their several past lives, but they are not the typical flashback chapters, instead appearing as passages where the main character regains her memory. I found it very original and beautifully accomplished.

However, just as an improvement, I found that the learning process could have been more meaningful. With time being of the essence, everything goes kind of smoothly—or let’s say, too smoothly. I would have liked her to struggle a bit more. She achieved everything important she set out to do on the first attempt.

Furthermore, I would have liked the bookstore to have more weight or presence, almost like another character. I found myself a little (just a little) disappointed by the title (maybe I like bookstores slightly too much, and that’s the reason!).

Overall, it was a beautiful and entertaining read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories filled with magic, self-discovery, and a touch of romance.

Les morts ne manquent pas de conversation de Anna Redkina

Ce sont des récits courts de personnages célèbres qui se réveillent dans le présent pour un jour et trouvent un mode de vie très distinct de celui qu’ils ou elles ont habité. Ils interagissent avec des gens d’aujourd’hui qui peuvent les reconnaître ou non.

J’ai trouvé l’idée très originale et quand l’auteur, Anna Redkina, est venue à notre école de langues et a présenté son livre si orgueilleuse, je n’ai pas eu la moindre doute de l’acheter, et alors l’acquérir dédié et autographié!

Je suis contente de le poséder, je l’ai preté à une amie française et m’a confié aussi qu’elle a eu un très bonne lecture, car c’est une expérience drôle. Il y a des chapitres plus agréables que des autres, et l’expérience depend aussi de si vous connaissez les charactères (ils varient de Napoleon à Marie Curie, de Buckowski à Jim Morrison, et plus d’autres jusqu’à 20!).

Les localisations sont aussi des endroits très connus de Paris, chaque chapitre étant dans une arrondissement différente.

Publié: 16 novémbre 2022

Editorial: Bookelis

Les récits du bouquin ont des longueurs variées, ce qui fait qu’il n’est pas monotone.

Ponctuation: 3.5/5*

Murder in an English Castle (A Flora Steele Mystery Book #10) by Merryn Allingham

In general, I liked it, but since I joined the saga in this 10th installment, I was a bit lost at first. The initial chapters were quite full of names I wasn't familiar with, and the relationships among them made it challenging to keep track. As a consequence, I almost set the book aside. However, since I received it from the publisher in exchange for a review, I decided to continue reading.

I was hooked the moment the couple visit Alex’s mother and Jack and Morton quarrelled...

Thanks to the prologue, we know it’s set in 1959 because all the rest seems to take place in later decade, but without mobile phones. In general, the setting feels like an old-fashioned area trying to uphold the neighborly ways of previous generations like The Good Witch’s Middletown, Stars Hollow or similar endearing locations. The thing that took me back in time and made me laugh was the college's night porter's behavior over the night calls. There are several moments like these that gave the story a pull and were highly enjoyable.

As a couple, Jack and Flora didn’t have much chemistry in this book. I wonder if this relies on previous books where they meet and develop some kind of romance, but I am not entirely sure. I missed something more between them, a complicity, a loving touch further than a kiss on the cheek... They’re newly-weds!

When I'm Gone, Look for Me in the East by Quan Barry

El paisajismo y la descripción de la vida en una Mongolia "moderna", desde el punto de vista de un monje budista me ha parecido muy interesantes, pero la historia es muy lenta, con frases muy cortas, conjugación en presente tanto para la actualidad como en los flashbacks... Se me ha hecho difícil y algo pesado seguirle el ritmo.

Como descubrimiento de todas formas, ha estado bien.

Puntuación: 2.5/5