Evie Woods' New Novel of Self-Discovery, Secrets and Second Chances

Recently I had the opportunity to read an advance review copy (ARC) of author Evie Woods' newest novel, The Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris, which was just published yesterday on April 8, 2025. I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't wait to share my book review here on Review This Reviews.

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A Life in Transition

Evie Woods’ The Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris is a delicious blend of hope, heartbreak, and intrigue. It's the story of Edith, an Irishwoman seeking a fresh start after her world is upended by the loss of her mother to cystic fibrosis. Having spent years as her sick mother’s caregiver, Edith is left feeling lost and unsure of what comes next. Working as a waitress and trying to comfort her grieving father feels unfulfilling and she is desperate for a change.

Not the (Rue de) Paris She Was Expecting

In an uncharacteristic burst of spontaneity, Edith impulsively applies for an assistant manager position at a French bakery on the Rue de Paris. She is swept up in dreams of a glamorous new life in the romantic City of Lights, but reality has other plans.

Instead of the bustling metropolis, Edith discovers too late that the bakery is located on the Rue de Paris in Compiègne, a sleepy, picturesque village an hour's train ride outside the city. Definitely not the "Paris" she thought she had signed up for.

Cold Shoulders and Mysterious Rules

The bakery is beloved by locals for its mouthwatering breads, pastries and sandwiches, but Edith quickly senses that all is not as it seems. Her new living quarters are tiny and shabby. The bakery's proprietress, elderly but spunky Madame Moreau, is gregarious with customers but curt and chilly with Edith. The locked basement where the actual baking happens is strictly off-limits, and Edith is forbidden to see or meet the mysterious, nameless baker. A teenage boy named Manu, the bakery's only other employee, won't say much to her, either.

Struggling with these unwelcoming co-workers and strange rules, as well as her limited grasp of the French language, makes Edith feel lonely, isolated and out of place. She wonders whether her impulsive move to France was a terrible mistake.

Finding Connection in Unexpected Places

Despite her loneliness, however, Edith is determined to try to build a life in Compiègne. She decides to get a sassy French haircut and forms a close friendship with Nicole, the daughter of the hair salon owner. She also gradually befriends a few of the bakery’s regulars, including Geoff who gives fascinating tours of the village and the historic Forest of Compiègne, where in 1940 the French signed a humiliating armistice with Nazi Germany.

Nicole invites Edith to hear her husband Johnny play jazz at the local club. Edith is attracted to a handsome Englishman at the bar but is too shy to strike up a conversation, so Nicole does it instead and then introduces Edith to him. Hugo is charismatic and well-spoken and he and Edith feel an immediate spark, but he is a photographer who lives and works in Paris. Fortunately, he comes to Compiègne frequently to visit his mother, who has Alzheimer’s and is in a nearby care facility.

Hugo's and Edith's burgeoning long-distance relationship is kept alive through his periodic, brief visits interspersed with sweet postcards. Meanwhile, Edith spends much of her precious (and scarce) spare time with Nicole, Johnny and their family, who "adopt" the foreigner and try to make her feel at home in her new hometown.

Just as Edith starts to feel as though she might belong in Compiègne after all, however, everything threatens to unravel.

Secrets, Betrayal, and a Family Legacy at Risk

As her French improves and she becomes more involved in the day-to-day operations of the bakery, Edith's  curiosity about its mysterious past grows. When she finally uncovers the truth about the bakery’s secretive history, operations and financial struggles thanks to Manu's eventual confidences, she’s faced with a new heartache: discovering that the man she’s falling for is one of the people trying to force Madame Moreau to sell the bakery, her family’s precious multigenerational legacy.

Can the bakery—and Edith's and Hugo's relationship—survive? You'll have to read this intriguing novel to find out.

Layers of History and Humanity

Author Evie Woods adds depth to the story with historical themes, including the Nazi occupation of France and the impact of racial discrimination. These elements tie into the bakery’s mysterious past and add emotional resonance to what might otherwise be a lighthearted narrative.

She paints the story with rich, sensory details: the scent of buttery croissants wafting through the air, the hum of jazz spilling from a smoky club, the warmth of fresh friendships blossoming in unexpected corners. She also doesn’t shy away from weightier themes, like loss, betrayal, and the courage it takes to rebuild a life. Edith’s journey isn’t just about solving the mystery of the bakery—it’s about rediscovering herself and finding the strength to fight for what matters.

Final Thoughts

The Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris is a heartfelt and satisfying novel that blends personal growth, romance, and historical intrigue. With vivid setting details, believable characters, and a steady unfolding of mystery, it’s a story about healing, second chances, and the power of community. If you enjoy novels that balance charm with depth, this one is well worth the read.

I read an advance copy of the Kindle edition courtesy of the author and NetGalley, but I enjoyed it so much that I plan to purchase The Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris audiobook as well. It is also available in paperback.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Evie Woods' books.

N/A

Evie Woods' New Novel of Self-Discovery, Secrets and Second Chances, a book review by Margaret Schindel

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Reviewing My Personal Thoughts on Tidying Up

A From the Heart Book Review

I once read something about how the universe always tries to reassert itself when something is changed. In other words, put things back the way they were.

This is never more true than when it comes to our efforts to organize and declutter our lives. 

We've all read books on decluttering, organizing, etc. and even followed the suggestions in the current book on the subject, resulting in a satisfyingly organized life (for a while). Eventually, though, our normal inclinations and habits seem to reassert themselves and our old patterns return. Our once clean desktop is once again piled with papers, there are stacks of books on the floor and chairs, and our clothes seem to have multiplied overnight! 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

I just read a new book called "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing" by Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo, who calls her system The KonMari Method. It was interesting and fun to read, but not all that different from others on the subject, with one exception. She tells you to start by discarding, THEN organize your space instead of the usual room-by-room or little-by-little approach. Makes sense, but easier said than done when you find excuses not to 'discard'. :)  

As I read this book, I found myself nodding and agreeing and planning to once again get organized without much assurance that I would actually follow through this time. Then I read a line that made more sense to me than any others I've read in similar books. Basically, the author writes, when you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you now need in life and what you don't.... and you are then surrounded only by the things you love. 

Finding myself now well into my 'senior' years, I really would like to finally organize and downsize my household. This desire is not so much as having a tidy house and an organized life as it is to not leave my kids with having to decide what to do with my ‘stuff’. 

Summary

Image Source: Pixabay

Therefore, no matter what organizing book you use to get you motivated, or nothing but simply a plan listed on a piece of paper, realize that you are not just tidying up your house as much as you are in getting your affairs in order. 

My final thoughts on the subject are that you may be years from needing to think about such things, but time doesn’t wait while you decide when and if you will get organized so others don’t have to do it for you. 

Related Reviews:

• Taming the Paper Tiger
• How to Conquer Clutter

*Review written by Wednesday Elf

 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

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The Little Fairy and Her Imagination Review

The Little Fairy and Her Imagination is a children's story about using one's imagination. The Little Fairy likes playing with her imagination and daydreams about all kinds of things that she likes.

But one day she desires for her friend to have a special home and starts imagining what that home would look like. She so much wanted her friend to have this special home, that she took the time to daydream about it on multiple occasions. Then one day, it seemed that her day dream came true, or at least was beginning to come true.

Did her imagination have anything to do with what seemed to have appeared?

Those are questions that can be raised and talked about when reading this book.

The story goes on, and the Little Fairy tries focused imagining even more. Read the story to find out what happens.

Do you believe in using your imagination in imaginative ways? As a child and a teenager, I imagined things. Nothing came true right away, yet sometimes things did come true further down the road. Hmmmm. Could it be that our imagination can or may have an affect?

This story really doesn't provide the answers, but it does help in getting the discussion started.

I do kind of have my own views. I wanted to convey some of that in the story, without telling but showing what could be possible.

This story, of course is fiction. However, it was inspired by true events that happened in my life.

One day, I was in my home office and glanced out my window, and noticed that the neighbor's tree behind our yard, was being cut down. Oh no, I thought. Then I thought, maybe it's just a trim. But no, it was definitely more than a trim. The whole tree was cut down.

I was disheartened. That tree had provided afternoon shade to my office as the sun moved across the sky. There went my shady reprieve.

From time to time, I gave some thought to, if I was to plant a tree, where would I plant it. I kind of picked out a spot and did imagine where I wanted it to be from time to time. Then I actually thought better of it, and gave it no more thought.

I had wisteria plants that had been growing quite tall out there, that I didn't even know that a tree had sprouted right about where I had wanted it to be. By the time I noticed it, it was taller than me. I decided it was too close to the back wall, and sawed the top of it off. It was quite heavy when it fell.

I thought that was the end of it. Then later, there it was growing back again. I cut it down again and painted the stumps that were left. I had figured that should stop it from growing back. But nope, it grew back again.

And then it dawned on me, that is about where I had wanted one to grow. Then I figured, that if it was meant to be, who am I to now say no to it.

And now it grows in my back yard. It's not quite high enough to shade out the afternoon sun, but it is getting there.

There have been other times over the years that I have imagined some things, that also seemed to have happened out of the blue. So again, I ask you, do you ever play with your imagination?

If you would like to read a fun and simple story that would spark thinking along those lines, then I recommend reading - The Little Fairy and Her Imagination: A story about a thoughtful gift. It is available on Amazon.

The Little Fairy and Her Imagination: A story about a thoughtful gift.

If your answer is no, that is fine too.

Cheryl Paton

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Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah

 

A Book Review

If you are looking for a delightful, feel-good book to read around the holiday season, I would like to suggest Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah.  Kristin Hannah is the award-winning author of more than 20 books, and I feel that you can never go wrong in picking one of her books to read.  Comfort and Joy was the hostesses pick for our October book club and everyone in our club loved the book.

 

Book Summary

Joy Candellaro has had a very rough year with a divorce and finding out her sister is marrying her ex-husband.  Christmas has always been her favorite time of year but this year she is feeling rather alone and not in the mood to celebrate.  She decides to take off by herself and boards a plane to head into the beautiful Pacific Northwest in Washington state.  A plane crash waylays her plans, and she finds herself walking alone into a small town and then out of town into the beautiful Olympic rainforest. 

 Her walk ends near a hunting lodge where she meets two people who will change her life. First, she meets young Bobby O'Shea who is getting ready to celebrate his first Christmas without his mom.  Bobby's dad, Daniel is very protective of his young son and is slow to warm up to Joy, but eventually they become close.  As Christmas is approaching Bobby and Joy surprise his dad with a tree and plans for the holidays.  They are all looking forward to a magical Christmas till Christmas Eve comes and Joy's world is ripped apart.  

This is a book you must read to find out if the magic of Christmas will reunite this delightful cast of characters.

Amazon Link to Book

Here is the link to where you can purchase the book on Amazon.

Comfort and Joy

Review This writers review Kristin Hannah books

Several of the writers for Review This Reviews have picked Kristin Hannah books.  Here are a few of the reviews:

These books were reviewed by Dawn Rae.

Book Review - The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (reviewthisreviews.com)

Summer Island by Kristin Hannah - Book Review (reviewthisreviews.com)

Treasures by Brenda has reviewed these Kristin Hannah books.

Kristin Hannah’s Home Front Book Review (reviewthisreviews.com)

Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale Book Review (reviewthisreviews.com)

Renaissance Woman also reviewed a book by Kristin Hannah

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Book Review (reviewthisreviews.com)

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All the Broken Angels ~ A Book Review

Sometimes a title grabs you and doesn't let you go.  That's what happened to me with this Book Title and I'm so happy that it did in fact grab me!

As part of the Netgalley.com community, there are books offered to members for their honest and true reviews. 

Pat Black-Gould and Steve Hardiman have hit all the right notes with All the Broken Angels!  It is a Finalist in the upcoming 2024 Royal Palm Literary Awards!.  

If you grew up in the 1950's, 60's and 70's you will be able to place yourself into this book without any trouble at all. 

 

These decades were the decades of many changes!  I'm talking about big changes!  There were changes in the church, changes in the schools, changes in our collective feelings about war, peace, space, family and our own roles in society!

These were the decades of Peace Walks and Talks, Vietnam, distrust in organized religions, protest marches, army drafts, women working to break the barriers in the job markets, and mother's who wanted more out of life than just raising a family.

It was a time of great upheaval in the family and society as a whole.  

All The Broken Angels hits on many of the "hot" topics of the day and brings many painful memories and some of our broken innocence or naive notions to light.

Cousins Cate and Albie are in the center of all this turmoil.  They are best friends, go to school together, play together and are being raised by mom's who still care for their immigrant parents.  They are "old school" and "new school" at the same time.  Falling back into what worked for their grandparents when they first arrived in the country they chose to call their new home, many old fashioned notions needed to change.  That change did not come easily for the elders as many stuck to their customs brought to this new land from their old countries. 

Cate and Albie are close and yet so far apart in their thinking.  Cate is a bit of a rebel and Albie is very much focused on being just like his dad ( a World War II vet).  Cate tries to challenge many things she sees as "unbelievable" and "wrong", while Albie knows when to keep his mouth shut and ride whatever wave they are travelling on.  Parochial schools with their hard edge on religion and beliefs did not sit well with Cate and try as she might, she really was trying to understand.  Albie was much more easy going and let all these things ride without too much personal comments.  Needless to say Cate and Albie's school life was not what we look back on with good humor.  School could be very distressing to some young minds.

This novel had me laughing and crying, admitting that many of these things were happening around me at that time and by the end of the novel I was totally a part of the world as seen through their eyes. Oh the memories that this book brought to light.  Things I hadn't thought of in a long, long time.  

All of life has a way of working out and Cate does find her way in this new world with all of it's possibilities. She is able to make peace with many things that caused her numerous sleepless nights.  Heartwarming and true to life is this story of All the Broken Angels.

Indies Today writes about All The Broken Angels: "Younger audiences will appreciate the richness of Americana, and older audiences will be kissed by nostalgia!

In my humble opinion this novel rates 5 Stars!  I don't give those out easily, but this book really deserves it and I do hope that you will find it and read it.  I'd love to hear if you reacted the same way!

Congratulations to the Authors Pat Black-Gould and Steve Hardiman!

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Reviewing Husband and Wife by K L Stater

I have read books by K L Slater before and really enjoyed them so when this book appeared on my Amazon recommended list with the byline 'We promised to keep each other's secrets. Until they found the body...' well I just had to read it!

This book does not disappoint. If you have yet to be introduced to author K L Slater she is a British author known for her psychological crime thrillers.

This book, Husband and Wife, is told from various POVs and also jumps timelines, but it's always easy to keep track of. The main POV is Nicola who, if I'm being honest, is a little irritating at times. Let's have a look at who is in the book:

Nicola and Cal are husband and wife, parents to Parker and doting grandparents to Barney. Cal is a self-employed plumber while Nicola is a former cancer patient who just wants to spend more time with her son and grandson.

Parker is Nicola and Cal's son and he is married to Luna and the father of Barney. Parker is in sales and very ambitious. Luna is a fashion influencer - her parents are very well to do and Parker, Luna and Barney spend most weekends at her family's estate.

Sarah is a young mother to a four-year-old daughter who went out for a night with friends and ended up being discovered dead from strangulation in an alley.

In this book Parker and Luna drop their son Barney off at Nicola and Cal's for the night as they are going into the city to an event and spending the night in a hotel. Parker also tells his mum he wants to talk to her the following morning when neither his father or his wife will be around.

During the night the police pay Nicola and Cal a visit as there's been a car accident and both Parker and Luna have been seriously injured. This is the start of a great book that will have you guessing. I was convinced I'd worked out who had murdered Sarah, I thought I had seen through the red herring and was so confident - I was also completely wrong.

The guilty party took me completely by surprise which is a refreshing change and makes me want to read it a second time to see if I can pick up on some different clues.

Let me know if you've read this book and if you have - did you guess the right culprit?

This book was free for me to read as part of my Amazon Unlimited membership which I tell people is like having a library card for Amazon!

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Shari Lapena's What Have You Done? ~ A Book Review

Are you a Murder/Mystery Fan?  If so, this is a book that you should put on your radar!  Shari Lapena's  novel, What Have You Done? is a page turner and will keep you guessing right until the very end.  

Right now it is in pre-publishing and is scheduled for release on July 30th of this year.  

Shari does a masterful job in keeping the suspense growing in this novel.  The story begins in a small town where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever happens either!  The folks in Fairhill, Vermont are about to find out what happens when something happens......

A farmer's field and a tired farmer coming back to the homestead after a hard day in the fields, notices turkey vultures flying in the distance.  This can only mean something is out there and it could be some forest critter or something bigger.

Roy Ressler (the farmer) must go out and investigate, but he's not really looking forward to finding out  what those vultures are gorging on. He's not too fazed by what he's facing, after all he's a volunteer firefighter in the town and has seen some pretty nasty things, but nothing has prepared him for this find.

The small town is home to one high school, one grocery store and a hardware store.  There is not too much going on in Fairhill.  Until now!

This book had me reading into the late hours of the night.  I just had to find out how everyone was connected and who could possibly have caused so much tragedy in such a short time.

The author does an amazing job of making you feel like you would know these people and so you become invested in the story before the second chapter is complete.  I guess it's a good thing I'm not a great sleeper.  

Everything you ever thought about living in a small town is true in Fairhill.  No one worries about locking their doors, drawing the drapes or having a security system in place.  Everyone knows everyone and very little is ever out of place.

The kids hang out at the local graveyard telling ghost stories and spooking each other out.  But it is more comedy than anything else.

All of that is about to change.....Evan, Taylor, Riley and Diana (friends since grade school days) are about to have their world torn apart!

I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I will just let you know that there is some "colorful" language and a little bit of teenage dating angst in this story.  But nothing that is too "in your face".  

I'm sure that you will become totally involved in this story as I was. 

 As a member of NetGalley.com, I was privileged to read this book as "An Advanced Readers Copy".   I would give this novel 5 STARS *****!

 If you would like to join me and read lots of different types of books just click on the link above, but if you want to read a great book than click the link to Amazon to order your own copy!

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Reviewing The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Just when I think I've read my fill of World War II historical fiction, 

our book club picks another one for our May meeting.   After reading just a few pages I was totally engrossed in the story and happy to read another WWII historical fiction.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea is based on Operation Pied Piper, a true event during WWII.  In this plan the British Government is looking for a way to keep the children of London safe during the bombing.  They find people willing to take care of the children until the war is over, these people are located in far off lands like Australia and America and many of them are sent to the English countryside.

Brief Summary of the Book

In this book the author, Patti Callahan Henry, tells the story of two young girls, Hazel age 14 and Flora age 5 who are sent to the English countryside.  The story begins with the girls boarding a train that takes them to towns in the countryside where people choose from the children to see who they want to stay in their home.

The girls are fortunate to be placed in a lovely cottage near a small English town and the river Thames.  Here they live with Bridie and her son Henry.  They are very kind and good to the girls.

The girls spend their times going on walks and playing games, which include a wonderful fairy tale that Hazel makes up to entertain Flora and distract her from missing her mother.  In this story the girls escape to a magical land with a cast of delightful characters.  The secret place they escape to is called Whisper Woods.  All is going well until one day Flora goes missing and everyone searches for her but are unable to find her.  The police believe she fell into the river and drowned.

We next meet Hazel 20 years later when she is working in a rare book store.  She is doing well but still misses her sister and feels guilty that she took her eyes off her a few minutes and Flora went missing.  While sorting through a batch of new books that came to the book store, Hazel finds one with the title Whisper Woods.  When she looks through the book she finds many similarities to the story she made up for Flora.  The story that they hadn't told to anyone.

After this, Hazel is on a quest to find her lost sister.  Along the way she meets some Americans who have had the book published and also an English journalist who writes articles about the lost children.  

I will leave the rest of the story for you to discover as you read the book. I highly recommend this book.  

Purchase the Book on Amazon

You can find the book at your local library, or you may purchase it both in paperback, hardback or electronic formats on Amazon.  Here is a link to the book on Amazon. The Secret Life of Flora Lea

 

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Reviewing The Ellie McEwan Mysteries by Joy Ellis

I love Joy Ellis police series and have read them all. When I heard that two manuscripts had languished in her attic for two decades before being 'rediscovered' I immediately downloaded both titles.

An Aura of Mystery is book one and introduces us to Ellie McEwan in a crime thriller with a supernatural twist. The characters are quirky and well-rounded as all of her characters are - I find it hard to believe this was her first foray into writing. 

Ellie McEwan is a flower shop owner who has an accident while driving home late one night. Days later she wakes up with a new ability, she can see auras. Her friend Carole is well versed in the spiritual side and tries to help her learn to master this new gift, introducing her to an old professor friend of hers who is an expert in these matters. 

While Ellie is coming to terms with what this new gift is going to mean with her getting on with her life, along with her healing from her car accident; the local police force is dealing with a couple of murders.

Inevitably, given it's a Joy Ellis mystery, Ellie realises that her new-found gift could help to catch a killer. The very sceptical DCI Bob Foreman decides to involve Ellie in the investigation and I will leave it at that. You will have to read the book to discover the how, why, what & when! 

The second book - The Colour of Mystery sees Ellie and Michael set up a Healing Centre for specialty care with a variety of 'alternative' healers. While they are busy setting up the new centre and coming to terms with the circumstances they found themselves in at the end of the last book it appears that there is another spate of murders. 

This time respected and well-loved people are acting completely out of character and murdering people. DCI Forman once again asks for Ellie's help as it really seems as though the murderers may be victims themselves. After committing the murder the 'murderers' go into a catatonic state. 

The second book was a lot more obvious, but wanting to know how the characters were going to deal with things kept me thoroughly engaged. These two books will be the only books in this series which is a shame as I found them to be really easy to read and would love to see more. 

These are two perfect books to curl up with one weekend when you don't anticipate any interruptions. Enjoy them with a lovely cup of cocoa and a few nibbles. 

The series that introduced me to Joy Ellis was the Nikki Galena series that I wrote about here - Joy Ellis' Nikki Galena Series. I've read all of Joy Ellis' books as part of my Kindle Unlimited Membership which I can't recommend enough for any fellow bookworms.

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A Song of Silence, Steve N. Lee ~ A Book Review

 Everyone who has read some of my book reviews knows that I love historical novels.  I am fascinated with the World War II era, as it has impacted my family as well.

War  is horrendous and of that there is no doubt, but I think we all need reminding that war can turn "normal" humans into savage beasts.  

A Song of Silence is a book that is hard to read and harder to put down.  Steve Lee's characters are all based on true life people that were able to corroborate the "horrors" that were inflicted on so many people all over Europe, during the uprisings in 1938-1939 and beyond!

A Song of Silence is a love story and a story of unbridled heroism and self-giving. 

Mirek Kozlowski is running an orphanage for children who have been displaced by marauding Nazi henchmen.  Mirek takes in all the children that are brought to him.  People in his village know that he will take care of them and give them some much needed "normalcy" in a world gone crazy.  His orphanage houses over 80 youngsters,  Mirek feeds and houses them all and treats each one of them like they were his own son or daughter. There is the classrooms where Mirek insists the children learn to read.  It is what a child between the ages of 6 to 13 should understand, schooling!.  Mirek's hope is to give these children a loving and caring home where they should have no fears.  So many of them have already seen much more than a child should.  

His little town in Poland so far has not been noticed by the Nazi's and he hopes that it will stay that way until the war is over.  But, that will not be the case.  

Mirek knew it was a long shot that they could remain unscathed from the realities that was happening all over Poland.  But he was an optimist at heart. reality tells him to have the children ready for anything!  The worst case scenario would be to taunt the Nazi's with "Polish" sentiments and identity.  He needs to train the children on what to do if that worst case scenario actually happens.  Everyone has been trained on what to do in case of an "unexpected visit" by the Nazi's.

Everything Polish has been put away and all things German now fill the classroom.  It was a sickening sight for Mirek and the children, but needed to be done.  Safety of the children was most important and after all and this was just window dressing.

Ania (Anne Maria) Kisiell comes to work with Baba Hanka (the housekeeper) and meets Mirek for the first time.  Ania and Hanka work to keep the children fed and the house in a reasonable state of order.  Hard to do with so many youngsters.

This is the background of Mirek and Ania's story, the start of a love story that you will not soon forget. But I must confess that I won't tell you anymore now!  This book has to go on your reading list and I know that you will be touched by the self-sacrifice and love that both Mirek and Ania shower down on the children in their care.

I could not put A Song of Silence down and I have read many World War II novels over the years.  This one will be etched on my mind for a long time.  A Song of Silence is one book that you should not miss!

This book gets a ***** (Five) Star rating from me and I don't give those up too easily.  

It is out on May 12 and available to you through Amazon.com, Kindle edition and many national book retailers. Steve N. Lee is a masterful story teller, you will not be disappointed!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Review of Cozy Mystery Genre

Bar Harbor Maine 
Photo by mbgphoto

 The "Cozy Mystery" Genre for stories has become very popular.  I thought this was a newer genre until I did a bit of research.  Actually, it has been around for a while.  Think about the TV program "Murder She Wrote" with Angela Lansbury and you find the perfect ingredients for a cozy mystery.  Like so many cozy mysteries this program features a woman who finds herself falling into the role of amateur sleuth.  She is an intelligent woman who also has main career.  The program takes place in a small, coastal town, where everyone knows each other.  She also has a good friend in law enforcement.  As I read more cozy mysteries, I find that these features are common to many of the books.

Why I Like Cozy Mysteries

I like cozy mysteries because they are fairly short, they feature a mystery that keeps my interest throughout the entire book, and many times there is a romantic interest in the story.  Often, they take place in places I have visited and really enjoyed.  In the past year I have read cozy mysteries that took place on the coast of South Carolina, in a small Irish village, small Colorado town, and along the coast of Maine.  I find this genre of books to be a wonderful way to relax and I often pick one up after I've been doing heavier reading.  They are great reads for a day at the beach or to bring along on a vacation.  Many cozy mysteries are part of a series of books with the same characters.

Cozy Mystery I am Currently Reading

Currently I am reading a book by Carlene O'Connor.  It is called "Murder in an Irish Churchyard".  It has an amateur sleuth named, Siobh'an who also runs a bistro.   It takes place in a small Irish village where everyone seems to know everyone and is willing to talk about it.  The book begins with a body being found in the local churchyard among the gravestones.  Siobh'an finds the body and the mystery begins.   All of these are common traits of the cozy mystery. Oh, and yes, there is a love interest with one of the local garda's (police).

As the story progresses, we meet a group of American's who are in Ireland researching their ancestors.  Do they have anything to do with the dead body? I will leave you to read the book and solve the mystery.  You can purchase the book on Amazon at the following link.  https://amzn.to/3TPHOKA

Review This Writers Review Cozy Mystery Books

Many of the writers for Review This have reviewed cozy mystery  books.  Here are a few that are in the RT archives.

• Margaret Schindel  recommends this cozy mystery series.  https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/.../Irish-Village...
• Olivia recommends this cozy mystery Murder Out of Character by Olivia Matthews – A Book Review (reviewthisreviews.com)
• Louanne recommends these books. I've reviewed a couple by Cynthia Ellingsen:

  https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/.../the-lighthouse...
  https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/.../BittersweetSurprise...
• Pat Austin recommends this cozy mystery Book Review of ‘In Cold Chamomile’ (reviewthisreviews.com)
• Here is another cozy mystery I have reviewed.  Book Review - Toes on the Dash (reviewthisreviews.com)   

Review This Writers Review Cozy Mystery Movies

Cozy mysteries are also very big in movies.  Here are several that Cynthia reviewed for Review This.

• Darrow & Darrow Hallmark Movie Series Reviewed (reviewthisreviews.com)
• The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango (2023) - Hallmark Mystery Movie (reviewthisreviews.com)
• The Hallmark Aurora Teagarden Mystery Series Reviewed (reviewthisreviews.com)

Enjoy a Cozy Mystery!!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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The Lake of Lost Girls ~ A Book Review

 The Lake of Lost Girls is a novel that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat right up until the very end.  

Stella and Rachel are two podcasters who follow up on cold cases involving murder!

Their followers are also tracking the evidence and speculations run rampant about the "Whodunit?"

Synopsis:

Lindsey has been living in the shadow of what ever happened to her sister so many years ago.  All of a sudden out of the blue, the lake, the police and the crime scene tape is being played out yet again.

Body parts have been found by some young boys fishing in Doll's Eye Lake!  Could it be they are the remains of  Jessica (Jessie)?  Will her disappearance finally be solved?  Can Lindsey finally get out from under the cloud of grief and loss?

This story will have you turning pages and not wanting to put this book down for anything including coffee!

Jessica is a college student who comes home for a visit and her little sister is the last person to see her.  It took ten seconds for her to disappear and never be seen again!  How can anyone live with that kind of torment?  Lindsey was only 6 years old when her sister disappeared.  Twenty four years later body parts are coming to the surface.

Now back in the 1990's more than one college girl went missing, so could this be one of those girls or could it really be Jessie?  

Back in the day when these girls first were listed as missing, the police did not have enough evidence to charge anyone with a crime.  They also didn't have any bodies!  No evidence and only a lot of hearsay about some of the professors  and young men on campus!  

What was going on here?  

Well let me tell you, I had to read the book from start to finish in less than four days!  My husband was busy cooking, because I was busy reading!  He's great though and didn't mind.  He's also a great cook, but I digress!

What I'm trying to tell you is that this book, The Lake of Lost Girls, should be on your MUST READ LIST!

It is available for pre-purchase as it is only coming out on November 5th,  of this year.

If you have family or friends that love true crime novels, this one is for you!

I am a member of NetGalley (www.netgalley.com) and this book was made available to me for my honest review.  The Lake of Lost Girls,  does not leave you disappointed as you will engage with the disturbing and quick downfall of a responsible girl who does not cope well with college life .  The aftermath of her disappearance leaves her younger sister with emotional scars too.  All of this is very understandable and I think in a way relatable.

Bring in a few "shady" characters and you start to see how lost a young person can become when their lives change so quickly.  No one gets out of this mystery without being touched by it in some way!  

~ Mark your calendar for this release date!  November 5, 2024!~

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Book Review of Flawless by Jan Moran

 Flawless is an exciting book by Jan Moran.  It is part of her Love, California series.

If you like to read books about strong career women with a bit of light romance on the side, this is a book for you.

The Author

Jan Moran is a best-selling author of women's fictions series, beach books, family sagas, and twentieth century historical novels.

Flawless

This book features Verena Valent who is the heiress to her family's skincare empire.  When Verena was 18 her parents both die in an automobile accident and her grandmother is undergoing cancer treatments.  This leaves Verena to both care for her younger twin sisters and take over leadership of the family business.

The book begins several years later when Verena is leading an expansion of the business into Asia.  Everything is set to begin when a banking crisis leaves the company short of the funds needed for the expansion.  Along with this, unethical business associates and an ex-fiancé are giving Verena bad advice which could lead her to lose the family business.

Verena is sour on romance after a bad time with the unethical ex-fiancé, and for the time being is content with running the business and leaving romance for when things are more settled.  Could this all change when she meets Lance Martel a celebrity chef?  Then when Verena is on a business trip to Paris, she runs into Lance again.

I will leave you to discover "the rest of the story" when you read this real page turner of a book.

Other Books in this Series

There are six books in this series.  Each book can be read alone, or you may want to read the entire series, as I will.  The books each feature a different main character, and all are strong women in the beauty field.  Here are the books in order.

• Flawless
• Beauty Mark
• Runway
• Essence
• Style
• Sparkle

The books are available on Amazon in paperback, electronic versions and audible versions.  Here is the link to Flawless

HAPPY READING!

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Reviewing Prom Queen by Laura Wolfe

Prom Queen by Laura Wolfe 

I'm not sure what made me want to read this book by Laura Wolfe, but I will definitely be diving into more of her books as I really enjoyed it.

The cover of the book says, 'We were all there 20 years ago....Only one of us killed her', that was enough of a hook for me!

This book runs in two timelines one is the present day and one is twenty years ago when the small town of Cove Haven's Prom Queen died.

The main character in the book is Brooke and she has returned to Cove Haven on the shore of Lake Michigan after her mother's death planning to renovate and sell the family home. While she's in the coffee shop she bumps into a woman who is wearing a silver locket around her neck that she instantly recognises. The necklace is one that she gave her long-time best friend for her 17th birthday and the last time she saw it was on the evening that her friend (the Prom Queen in the title) died.

The person in question was a true-crime podcaster who had decided to investigate the Prom Queen's death and she raised lots of questions as podcasters do. Bailey's death had been put down as a suicide, but her friends had often thought it could've been something more sinister. As the podcaster, Hannah probes more she and Brooke discover more things and the twists start coming.

I really enjoyed it even though I did suspect who the killer was before the end, I will confess to falling for a red herring for a few moments. I won't reveal more about that as I want you to fall for it   enjoy the book with no preconceptions!

If you like thrillers and whodunnits then you should enjoy this book. There were a couple of cliched characters in the book, but the main cast was really good.

The only thing that I didn't really like was the epilogue. I enjoyed the ending with the reveal and think it could've ended there. When I read the epilogue I said to my husband, 'that's not a nice ending, I really don't like that ending' I think it was to set up for another book, but I just didn't like it. I would recommend not reading that part, but if you're like me curiosity will get the better of you. 

For an entertaining read I do recommend it. It is marketed as a 'totally addictive and gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist' and that does sum it up although I would probably replace the psychological thriller with whodunnit as it wasn't as dark and suspenseful as a lot of psychological thrillers.

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The Taverner's Son by Leslie Park Lynn ~ A Book Review

 The Taverner's Son is a well written deeply moving novel that has a beautiful story line that everyone can really sink their teeth into.  Family secrets, tragedy and a small village help to make this book a real page turner.  I love the characters and each one of their with own "quirks".  

What family doesn't have some sadness and misunderstandings that get in the way of family connections?  I don't think there is one family out there who can't relate in some way.

So it is with Will Kendrick.  He has lived most of his adult life away from the small town that was his home.  Misunderstandings and pride make it difficult to get through to the part where we still love each other.  And sometimes it's too late to do anything about it!  

Will gets a phone call letting him know that his father has passed away.   Living on the west coast for many years,  Will had not given his father too much thought.  Now he is in shock and trying desperately to make sense of it all, realizing that there is no more time left.

Will makes the plans to return to the little fishing village of Apalachicola.  First he had to make his way from California to Tallahassee and then drive from there to what had been his home.  As he drives the roads back to his "home" memories come flooding back to him. 

Of course there are the people of the town whom he had known growing up and many that had left the small town for bigger and better opportunities.  But there was also one of his oldest and dearest friends from his childhood who remained.  Jess, his long time friend from grade school, who had always been there during his childhood, made her life in the small town of Apalachicola.

Will is making his way around town and sees the tavern where he spent many days helping his father.  Homework was done on one of the small tables in the back.  Penny, the cook and keeper of the kitchen took Will under her wings when Will's mother had died.  Will was only 3 years old when his mother died.   Penny and her husband were the imaginary parents that Will wanted.  His father had become distant and depressed, withdrawn from his son and anything that reminded him of his beloved wife.  Will was the spitting image of his mother.  So that made things even harder for Will's father.  And now Will is standing in the Tavern that now belongs to him.  

Will has a lot to learn about the father he didn't know so well and more about his mother too. When you lose your mom at 3 years of age, you really don't know too much about her.    As you get into the book, the story takes on a life of it's own and you will be hard pressed to put the book down.  So many questions that Will has and so few answers, yet, there is something going on that doesn't make sense.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, but, I would encourage you to pick this book up.  It really is a riveting story of family, family secrets and how they impact the people who are being "saved from the truth".  This book is masterfully written, a love story with twists and turns that you will not see coming.  It is a page turner that you won't want to put down.

I received this book from VoraciousReadersOnly with the promise of sharing a review.  It was my pleasure to read this book and review it for you here.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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