We are returning to France for another great summer read by Gillian Harvey . The Village Cafe in the Loire was published by Boldwood on July 12th. High-flyer Becky Thorne cannot believe what she’s being told. She doesn’t need to be signed off for burnout! Life has been a bit chaotic lately, that’s all. As if dealing with her enviable job and permanent meddling from her mother aren’t enough, she’s also inherited a café in the Loire from an estranged great-aunt, complete with sitting tenant who refuses to budge. But nobody stands in Becky’s way! Ignoring her best friend Amber’s advice, she decides to storm over to France and sort the tenant out. Then she can finally get the café sold and jump back on the career ladder. What she doesn’t count on is the tenant being Pascale, who is six feet of tall, dark, handsome and extremely grumpy about her plans for change. Not to mention the village and the secrets it holds about her past. Becky’s path to succes...
The Beauty of Broken Things by Victoria Connelly #Review
Victoria Connelly's The Beauty of Broken Things was published on 9th June by Lake Union Publishing.
United by tragedy, can two broken souls make each other
whole?
After the tragic loss of his wife, Helen, Luke Hansard is
desperate to keep her memory alive. In an effort to stay close to her, he
reaches out to an online friend Helen often mentioned: a reclusive photographer
with a curious interest in beautiful but broken objects. But first he must find
her—and she doesn’t want to be found.
Orla Kendrick lives alone in the ruins of a remote Suffolk
castle, hiding from the haunting past that has left her physically and
emotionally scarred. In her fortress, she can keep a safe distance from prying
eyes, surrounded by her broken treasures and insulated from the world outside.
When Luke tracks Orla down, he is determined to help her in
the way Helen wanted to: by encouraging her out of her isolation and back into
the world. But Orla has never seen her refuge as a prison and, when painful
secrets and dangerous threats begin to resurface, Luke’s good deed is turned on
its head.
As they work through their grief for Helen in very different
ways, will these two broken souls be able to heal?
My Thoughts
This is a touching story which shows two people who are both working through grief, loss, anger and desolation. They meet totally by chance and slowly, their lives begin to interweave. Some of the secondary characters ground the story in everyday life, especially the villagers who live near Orla. You can totally imagine the community spirit and their perplexed feelings as to why Orla is so reclusive.
The East Anglian setting is beautifully evoked and you can almost smell the salt in the air and feel the sand between your toes. There are one or two surprises that turn up as the story unfolds. In particular, you feel that Orla's mother has her own issues to work through and I am sure could feature in her own story! Seeing below the surface and noticing the beauty in the flawed and the damaged, Orla and Luke seem to have an understanding almost from the start. This is a story to savour.
In short: An emotional story of two damaged souls.
About the Author
Victoria Connelly studied English Literature at Worcester
University, got married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales and now
lives in rural Suffolk with her artist husband, a young springer spaniel and a
flock of ex-battery hens. She is the million-selling author of two bestselling
series, Austen Addicts and The Book Lovers, as well as many other novels and
novellas. Her first published novel, Flights of Angels, was made into a film in
2008 by Ziegler Films in Germany. The Runaway Actress was shortlisted for the
Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Comedy Novel award.
Victoria loves books, films, walking, historic buildings and
animals. If she isn’t at her keyboard writing, she can usually be found in her
garden either with a trowel in her hand or a hen on her lap.
Her website is www.victoriaconnelly.com and readers can
follow her on Twitter @VictoriaDarcy and on Instagram @VictoriaConnellyAuthor.
Thanks to Victoria Connelly, and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
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