Book Review: The Village Inn of Secret Dreams by Alison Sherlock
After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.
But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.
So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.
But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.
Can Belle realise her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?
As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.
*****
The Village Inn of Secret Dreams is the third book in the Riverside Lane series.
Belle Clarke sees the village of Cranbridge as her home. She wants to stay there forever, working at her Uncle’s inn, The Black Swan.
When the inn is threatened by closure, Belle may have to leave. Cue Pete Kennedy, her oldest friend.
He buys the inn and has plans but these are the opposite of Belle’s vision.
Can Pete and Belle put aside their differences and save not only the inn but help the village too.
It was so lovely to be back in Cranbridge. It was really like being back with old friends. The descriptions and setting of this village sounds so stunning, especially as it’s set during Autumn and Christmas (I am feeling so festive now.)
by 
September 2021 Favourites
Summer is lovely (not that we got much of it,) but there is something I love about the autumn, about how the colour of the leaves change, having a reason to get the warm jumpers out and sitting listening to the rain whilst snuggled up inside.
September was, for me, a little bit of a blur. Having not had a great month in terms of my mental health, finding things that occupied my mind became very important.
So, I have some favourites to share with you.
My first favourite is No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo. OK, this isn’t technically a ‘new’ favourite but it’s a book I’ve heavily been consulting during the past month as I begin to prepare for National Novel Writing Month 2021 which is in 26 days. Eeek!
This book, in my opinion, should be in everyone’s list when getting organised for NaNoWriMo. From developing characters to giving me a week by week guide through the weeks of November, this book won’t leave my side. Anyone else taking part this year? My user name is Laura Parish if anyone wants to be buddies.
It was really hard to pick a favourite book from the month of September. The ones I have read were all so good.
Jane’s Away by Clare Hawken made it to the top spot. It was such an interesting, compelling and unique take on the spouse leaving and Roger goes through quite a transformation. It’s a great novel.
Here’s the blurb and you can read my full review here.
Roger Kurmudge is rather smug about his affluent life and happy marriage.
It’s just as well his wife, Jane, is totally in the dark about what he got up to in the past. But on his retirement day, Jane disappears. Roger’s about to panic. Will he have to sell some shares or – heaven forbid! – the house in Bordeaux to pay a ransom demand? Worse – has Jane discovered his guilty secret?
Then Jane’s emails start arriving. Take the dog to the vet. Look after grandson Alfie for the day. Do the washing, shopping and cooking. Host Christmas for the family. Roger doesn’t know why Jane’s gone but he’s sure he can manage her ‘women’s work’ without any trouble. Although it’s harder than it looks.
As the weeks go by and Jane stays away, Roger is forced to re-examine everything he thought he knew about his family, his life and himself. But even if Roger can change for the better, will Jane ever come back? Or has she, too, been keeping secrets of her own?
My TV favourite for last month is a show called Miracle Workers, based on a book by Simon Rich.
I came across a clip of this show when I’d fallen down one of my many You Tube rabbit holes and immediately wanted to watch more. For anyone who has watched it, it was the clip from series three, in the bar, with one of the characters singing.
by Novel Kicks Book Club: The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
Hello October.
October is not only my birthday month, it is also the build up to Halloween and, in my opinion, the real beginning of Autumn.
This month, I wanted to pick a set of books that have been so important to me. So, our book club is reading… Harry Potter.
I think these books are so perfect for the spooky month with it being about witches and wizards and magic and all.
I am going to be focusing on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as this is my favourite. You can read that with me or you can pick whatever Harry Potter book is your favourite. I’m so excited to find out which book is the most popular.
As usual, I have put a question in the comments below to kick off the conversation. Anyone can join our book club, whether you’ve read the books or are yet to read them.
I look forward to discussing this book series with you.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing 
news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets:
Harry Potter’s summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors – and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone… Dobby’s sinister predictions seem to be coming true.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
When the Knight Bus crashes through the darkness and screeches to a halt in front of him, it’s the start of another far from ordinary year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter. Sirius Black, escaped mass-murderer and follower of Lord Voldemort, is on the run – and they say he is coming after Harry. In his first ever Divination class, Professor Trelawney sees an omen of death in Harry’s tea leaves… But perhaps most terrifying of all are the Dementors patrolling the school grounds, with their soul-sucking kiss…
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire:
The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter – but that doesn’t stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe’en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through – alive!
by Book Review: The Readers’ Room by Antoine Laurain
When the manuscript of a debut crime novel arrives at a Parisian publishing house, everyone in the readers’ room is convinced it’s something special. And the committee for France’s highest literary honour, the Prix Goncourt, agrees.
But when the shortlist is announced, there’s a problem for editor Violaine Lepage: she has no idea of the author’s identity. As the police begin to investigate a series of murders strangely reminiscent of those recounted in the book, Violaine is not the only one looking for answers. And, suffering memory blanks following an aeroplane accident, she’s beginning to wonder what role she might play in the story …
*****
A manuscript for a debut crime novel arrives on Violaine Lepage’s desk and everyone agrees that it’s going to be huge. The only problem is, no-one knows who the author is.
This becomes a bigger issue when it’s shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt, France’s highest literary honour.
Also, people start to die in similar circumstances to the novel, the Police come calling and Violaine wonders what part she has to play in everything.
I have become such a fan of Antoine Laurain’s novels and so I was excited to read this one and I was immediately intrigued by the premise.
This book is a mystery. Who is this writer and who is the person murdering people? I got drawn in straightaway, wanting to know who, where and why.
Set at a Publishers in France, I wanted to be a part of the Readers’ Room team. I could also see myself in the setting. How Antoine Laurain describes the city and Violaine’s workplace and home – it’s all so vivid and beautifully written. I could picture this world through the eyes of these interesting, complicated and relatable characters.
by Book Review: The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuvre his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined – ; every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favour or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
*****
Snow Lands on Top!
Coriolanus Snow is 18 and a student in the Capitol, ten years after the end of the war. With the effects of the war still fresh in the mind of those both Capitol and Districts, the 10th Hunger Games is about to begin. Snow is one of 24 students chosen to be in the first batch of mentors for the incoming tributes.
When he is assigned the girl tribute from District 12, he sees this as the biggest humiliation. Once the games begin however, it becomes a battle for survival both in and out of the arena.
From the time I first read The Hunger Games books and saw the films, I found myself wondering about President Snow and how his story began so when I found out that The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes was going to be from Snow’s perspective, I was excited. Surely he was not born with that much hatred and contempt for the districts?
When we meet Coriolanus, the Snow family are one tax bill away from losing their home. They are as far away from the President’s mansion and riches as they could possibly be. His Grandmother is frail, his Parents dead and his Cousin, Tigris does all she can. Their biggest fear is that someone finds out about their situation and the Snows become a laughing stock. No, they need to keep their secrets.
by Book Club
