Skip to main content

Featured

See the Stars by Eleanor Ray #Review

  See the Stars by Eleanor Ray will be  published on February 5th 2026 by Piatkus .  Do you ever feel that life isn't going to plan?   When Alice Thorington collapses in the street after a particularly hellish day at work, she must finally admit to herself that her outwardly happy life - steady relationship, well-paid job, beautiful flat in the city - isn't everything she'd hoped it would be. Burnt out by long hours and living a life that doesn't fulfil her dreams, Alice returns home to Yorkshire.  Her childhood home brings complicated family dynamics, a rediscovery of her passion for stargazing and two new friends: Berti, a boy who finds it easier to count the stars than interact with people, and Matt, her brother's best friend and Alice's teenage crush. With each of them facing their own struggles, can the stars that meant so much to Alice in her past help them to find their way in the present?  Filled with heart and warmth, this uplifting novel...

The Second Love of my Life by Victoria Walters



In The Second Love of my Life, Victoria Walters tells a tale about a fairly recently bereaved young widow, Rose, and her thoughts and feelings as she tries to move on with her life. It starts with her having lost her childhood sweetheart to a drunk driver and she is still gripped by the grief and shock at that traumatic event. An artist, she is finding her creative urge to have stalled.

    Rose has always lived in the town of Talting, a fictional place set in Cornwall. The setting is always present throughout the book and you are always aware of the inhabitants who are so supportive of her. Robert Green, a stranger to the town, appears in the story and unsettles Rose.  Of course there is more to him than meets the eye but he is very interested in her art and is encouraging her to start painting again. A large part of the book centres on Rose being able to articulate her feelings through her art

    The Second Love of my Life is described as women's fiction. Although it is not the genre I have read a lot of, I did find it a very enjoyable read. The pace of the story was well controlled and the plot was believable. As a character, Rose is well drawn and you learn about her through her friendships and relationships with the other characters. You can follow her working through her issues and living with the loss she feels for Lucas, her husband. This is Victoria Walker's debut novel and I would like to read any subsequent books she writes.

In short: A bitter sweet portrayal- a great holiday read.  

Thanks to Frances Gough at the publishers, Headline Review for a copy of the book. 
     
     

Comments

Popular Posts