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A Fresh Start for the Country Nurse by Kate Eastham #Review

  I am delighted to introduce a new series by Kate Eastham. A Fresh Start for the Country Nurse was published by Boldwood Books on 7th March. Call the Midwife meets All Creatures Great and Small in this first of a heart-warming series about a country nurse and midwife. July, 1936 After an unexpected heartbreak and a nasty accident on a busy Liverpool street, Lara Flynn is desperate to start afresh and leave painful memories behind her. She takes on a new job as a district nurse and midwife at a country practice, in the remote Lancashire village of Ingleside. But instead of the friendly rural idyll she pictures, Lara finds she must cycle vast distances to visit locals who harbour an innate suspicion of a newcomer from the city ā€“ as well as dealing with unpredictable livestock, an erratic senior doctor and often challenging medical cases. She also rubs up against handsome local vet, Leo, when she helps to deliver a calf! With time, Lara learns that healing is a two-way s...

The Memory of You by Samantha Tonge #Review

 


I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations for The Memory of You by Samantha Tonge. It was published on May 16th by Boldwood Books.

A gorgeously uplifting story about memories, storytelling, love and friendship, about the journeys we take and the people we meet, what we remember and how there are some things we can never forget.

Alex would like to believe sheā€™s a woman who has it all. Or thatā€™s what she tells everyone, including herself. But this is far from true. Actually sheā€™s on the cusp of losing her home, her dream career as a writer is in tatters, her ex wonā€™t speak to her, and her motherā€™s gone forever.

But then a chance meeting with a stranger named Hope gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, when Hope jokes that perhaps Alex should take over her job in a cafe while she goes travelling.

Just at that moment, it sounds like the answer to all her problems. So Alex persuades Hope to let her step into her shoes for a month. She brushes away Hopeā€™s attempts to explain about the cafĆ©, instead demanding to know more about the owner Tom.

But she should have asked to know more. Because the ā€˜Wrong Order CafĆ©ā€™ isnā€™t like anywhere sheā€™s ever been before. And Alexā€™s life is about to change foreverā€¦


 My Thoughts

There are so many layers to this story which deals with some serious issues in a warm and humane way. The Alex you meet at the beginning is not particularly likeable but then you realise that she feels that way too. There are plenty of people who you can enjoy in the Wrong Order Cafe and there is a feeling of community there and acceptance of  the loss that dementia brings to people and their families. As it takes away a personā€™s identity as memories fade away, there is nevertheless a determination to hang onto as much as possible to what makes them unique and loved.

I enjoyed all the humour which was to be found in the story, from Captain Beaky to the customers who delighted in the wrong order being delivered. Alexā€™s realisation about what she values and her opinion on how she has been living strikes home. I also loved all the references to the writing process and books. Most of all, I enjoyed the setting in Manchester having caught the bus in Stevenson Square many years ago as a schoolgirl. 


In short: a warm uplifting story which goes beneath the surface. 




About the Author

 

Samantha Tonge is the bestselling and award-winning author of over 15 romantic fiction titles published by HQ, and most recently Aria. Her first book for Boldwood, Under One Roof, was published in February 2022 and her move to Boldwood marks a broadening of her writing into multi-generational womanā€™s fiction. She lives in Manchester with her family.

 

You can follow Samantha here: Twitter   |  Facebook   |  Website
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Book links: Amazon UK  

         
Thanks to Samantha Tonge, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the event.
 
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