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A Scottish Lighthouse Escape by Julie Shackman # #ScottishEscapesBook9 #PublicationDay

  Welcome to Book 9 in the Scottish Escapes series by Julie Shackman. A Scottish Lighthouse Escape  is published today on July 31st by One More Chapter . You can read my reviews of others in the Scottish Escapes series here   A Secret Scottish Escape . |  A Scottish Highland Surprise    |   The Cottage in the Highlands |   A Scottish Country Escape   |  The Bookshop by the Loch A Scottish Highland Hideaway   |   A Scottish Island Summer   Get ready to fall in love with the brand new romance in the Scottish Escapes series from bestselling author, Julie Shackman.   When romance author Rosie Winters’s own fairytale romance ends with a bang, she’s determined to get away from everything. Packing up her belongings she sets off for the furthest place she can think of: Scotland. Rosie spent her summers at her late grandmother’s coastal cottage in the Highlands and knows it’ll be the perfect place to wallow f...

The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells by Virginia Macgregor


I was sent an advance copy of this book by the publisher, Sphere (Little, Brown Book Group) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells pulled me in from the start and proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. It centres around what happens when 'the Mother who left', Norah, returns to her family six years later, only to find that they have moved on and there is now  'the Mother who stayed', Fay, in her place. I admired how the fallout of emotions was dealt with as we explored the repercussions of Norah's absence on each of the family members, even their beloved dog, Louis. 

Virginia Macgregor maintained the pace of the story to the end. I was particularly taken with the little pauses through the book as she told us what was happening for each person. The telling of the story through the eyes of different family members was cleverly done. I felt that the voices of the different age groups were captured deftly, especially the younger daughter, Willa. 

 Behind the deceptively simple scenario, there were some probing questions to explore. What makes someone a Mother or a Father? Is it always better to know the truth? Can you love two people? I found parts of the story quite moving yet the author managed to balance that with a wry look at family life, not to mention the twitter fans and nosey neighbours who observed it all. 

In short: An enjoyable, well paced book which was intriguing  and at the same time, humorous.

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