Book Review: Dusting Down Alcudia by D.A Nelson

Synopsis:

When top archaeologist Nina Esposito finds a famed treasure hunters’ journal, she knows it will lead her to a lost Roman necklace.

But when an ex and a rival archaeologist come on the scene, things suddenly get complicated as the pair compete for her heart. 

Added to the mix is a shady local billionaire who will stop at nothing to snatch the jewels from under her nose.

Now she has to navigate through her confused feelings and find the necklace before anyone gets hurt. Failure just isn’t an option.

My Review:

Firstly a massive thank you to Dawn Nelson for reaching out and asking me to read and review her fantastic book! I of course said yes and waited by the door for the postman to deliver it!

As a young child Nina would listen to her father telling her tales of long ago about a girl named Aelia.  The love of her life left for war but before he did, he presented her with a necklace so she would not forget him.  After hearing that he had been killed in battle, Aelia had died there and then from a broken heart.  To this day no one knows where Aelia and the necklace lie.  Even though Nina had heard this story over and over she always willed her father to share them, fascinated on where the necklace could be hidden.

Nina Esposito, an archaeologist working at the British Museum.  All grown up but never forgotten the tales of Aelia, comes across a journal belonging to a treasure hunter.  Combing through the journal in the hopes that it may lead her to the lost Roman necklace.  Nina decides to take action and find the treasure herself.

Of course, this story isn’t that straight forward! Nina’s adventures take her to Mallorca to a small town called Alcudia.  Mix that with a local billionaire, a rival archaeologist oh and an ex of Nina’s and you have yourself a juicy story!  

This read has everything you need for pure escapism.  The descriptions of Mallorca were on point making me feel like I was on the adventure with Nina.  I loved that the book included a little romance too as well as the fast paced action, keeping me on my toes with a few twists thrown in for good measure.  

Nina is most certainty the female version of Indiana Jones!

'Dusting Down Alcudia' has already been lent out from the library of Hannah!  

I cannot wait to read more of Nina's adventures!  Fab read!

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Book Review: The Street of Broken Dreams by Tania Crosse

Synopsis:

A poignant story which will tear at your heart strings. 

Summer 1945. The nation rejoices as the Second World War comes to an end but Banbury Street matriarch, Eva Parker, foresees trouble ahead. Whilst her daughter, Mildred, awaits the return of her fiancé from overseas duty, doubts begin to seep into her mind about how little she knows of the man she has promised to marry. Or are her affections being drawn elsewhere? Meanwhile, new neighbour, dancer Cissie Cresswell, hides a terrible secret. 

The end of the conflict will bring her no release from the horrific night that destroyed her life. Can she ever find her way back? Under Eva’s stalwart care, can the two young women unite to face the doubt and uncertainty of the future?

My Review:

I was thrilled to be asked to join Tania Crosse's Blog Tour to reveal an exclusive extract from her new novel 'The Street of Broken Dreams' You can read the extract and check out my Blog Tour stop here.

When I read the synopsis for this book I did worry whether I would enjoy the story.  As you may know I am a glittery, hearts and roses, happy ending kind of girl and this was not my usual at all, totally out of my comfort zone. BUT I am so glad I did read this, WOW it's a beautiful and emotional story which I have not stopped talking about to friends and family and anyone else that will listen to me!

I didn't realise until half way through that this is the second book in the series, the first being 'The Candle Factory Girl'.  However this book can be read as a standalone as I didn't feel as if I had missed out on any background or story and of course I went straight to Amazon and purchased the first book and I'm sure I will go on to purchase more of Tania's beautiful reads!

This story focuses on two families who become neighbours just as the Second World War comes to it's final days.  History is not my strong point however I do find it really interesting and so this was the perfect way to get a little insight into the past and what went on as WW2 was coming to an end.

The Parker family the long term residents of Banbury Street, welcome the Cresswell's with open arms.  Eva Parker, is a wonderful character and one that I would expect to read about during that period.  Eva is the head of her family and pretty much the leader of the street, nothing much gets past her, but that's not because she is a busy body but because she is a warm, friendly and trusting neighbour who people turn to for advice and comfort.

I love that the Parker family accepted the new neighbours as if they were long lost family members.  The Cresswell family are a great addition to the street and it doesn't take too long before Eva takes them all under her wing.  I  loved that the two girls Mildred and Cissie formed a special friendship even  after being forced together by their mum's, I'm sure people can relate to this and most probably been through the same growing up!

Tania has a fantastic way of bringing characters to life, I felt emotionally connected to them all throughout the story, feeling their struggles, pain and happiness too.  This story was certainly a roller coaster of emotions which stayed with me long after finishing.  

Now I must warn you that the opening few pages and in actual fact my extract from the Blog Tour is quite a gritty emotional scene which I found difficult to read however it is a crucial part to the story.

For obvious reasons I don't want to go into too much detail on the story line so I will leave it there so as not to spoil it for you.

This book captured my heart, took me out of my comfort zone and transported me back to a time full of hope, healing, family, friendship and love.

Thank you so much to Tania Crosse and Aria Fiction for asking me to read this inspiring story.

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Blog Tour Book Extract: The Street of Broken Dreams by Tania Crosse

Synopsis:

Summer 1945. The nation rejoices as the Second World War comes to an end but Banbury Street matriarch, Eva Parker, foresees trouble ahead.

Whilst her daughter, Mildred, awaits the return of her fiancé from overseas duty, doubts begin to seep into her mind about how little she knows of the man she has promised to marry. Or are her affections being drawn elsewhere?

Meanwhile, new neighbour, dancer Cissie Cresswell, hides a terrible secret. The end of the conflict will bring her no release from the horrific night that destroyed her life. Can she ever find her way back?

Under Eva's stalwart care, can the two young women unite to face the doubt and uncertainty of the future?

Extract from the book!

It was only when the pain ripped up into her body that she was snapped back to her senses. It was so intense that, for a second or two, her mind was stunned and oblivious to all else. Then she realised what was happening, and the horror and humiliation speared into her. She opened her mouth to scream, but a sweaty, iron hand came tightly over her face. She was suffocating, gasping for breath, the fight to stay alive greater than the terror of the monster thrusting into her. She felt herself passing out. The end had come. And she welcomed it.

‘Ya leave her alone!’ was the next thing she heard, the outraged voice of the other GI, the one she believed was black, who’d been knocked unconscious and kicked for good measure. 

‘Too late,’ came the smirking reply. Laughing, nauseating. Just above her. His weight no longer pinning her down, though the pain still burned inside her.

‘What! Ya don’t mean ya’ve...? Ya filthy bastard!’ 

‘Now don’t ya go mentioning this, ya dirty nigger,’ the other voice, from further away now, threatened. ‘One word an’ I’ll put ya on a charge, an’ it won’t just be for insubordination. In fact, I’ll say it was you who did it. That’ll get ya hanged an’ ya’ll regret ever openin’ ya mouth!’ 

‘Jeez, what the hell’ve ya done? Ya can’t just leave her—’ 

‘She was asking for it, walkin’ alone at this hour. So come on. An’ not a word or ya’ll regret it!’

All went quiet then but for the scuffling of feet. Somehow, the girl found the will to lift her head. She could just make out the silhouette of a taller man dragging the protesting, struggling outline of the other soldier away down the deserted street. 

Footfall fading. Then silence. Her head fell back and she sank down into soft, comforting blackness.

The music, the gentle harmonies, the crescendos, were playing again, she was dancing, spinning, her body moving with such grace, her arms floating. But her foot wasn’t working properly. She couldn’t do it. Sean frowned at her and she shook her head...

She was staring blindly at the moon. Not a sound. Not a breath of air. What was she doing there? And then she tried to move. 

Her entire body seemed racked with pain, reality flooding back with all the might of a sledgehammer. Falling, her ankle on fire. And then she remembered. The men. Yankee soldiers. And she knew what had happened as something struck deep inside her like an arrow.

The brutal howl that escaped her lungs and cut through the still night was that of a wounded animal. And it wasn’t just the physical pain. The degradation, the shame, the vile humiliation of the heinous act that had been committed against her. She wanted to scream it away, rip it out of her. But she couldn’t. It was all a blur, but it had been done, and couldn’t be undone.

Oh, dear God, it was a nightmare. Couldn’t be real. Mustn’t be real. But she knew it was. With a tearing moan, she curled up on her side and waited for it all to go away.

Author Bio

Delaying her childhood dream of writing historical novels until her family had grown up, Tania eventually completed a series of published stories based on her beloved Dartmoor. She is now setting her future sagas in London and the south east.

Follow Tania!

Twitter: @TaniaCrosse

Facebook: @TaniaCrosse

Buy Links:

Amazon:https://amzn.to/2ROqck2

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2HaxIBD

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2QHCq9H

iBooks: https://apple.co/2sohcUx

Follow Aria:

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Book Review: The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin

Synopsis:

Eva is quite content with her life in London. In her job as a cover designer, she works at home, and often in her cosy pyjamas. She's happy to stay in her safe little world and not explore much outside of it.

She is the opposite of her mum, a free spirit who craved finding adventure and thrills in all corners of the world. But on the day her mum’s will is finalised, Eva finds a list of all the dreams her mum wanted to achieve in her life. Things she never did because she fell pregnant with Eva.

Eva decides these dreams will not go unfulfilled - she is going to be brave and complete them for her mum. As Eva has no experience travelling the world, she hires a guide to go with her on this holiday.

Gorgeous but rude Thor Anderson is not the person she would choose to accompany her on this journey, but somehow she gets stuck with him. As they discover the world together Eva starts to think he might not be as bad as she first thought. She is swept away by Thor's kindness and mischievous sense of humour. But will it be a simple holiday romance or could this wonderful adventure lead to so much more?

My Review:

Holly Martin is becoming one of my favourite authors, you just know you're in for a treat when you pick up one of her books.  The cover for 'The Summer of Chasing Dreams' is beautiful and inviting so naturally I jumped at the chance to read this when I was offered an early preview.  Thank you Holly!

I really loved the character Eva Blue, shying away from adventure Eva prefers to be in the comfort of her home snuggled in her pyjamas rather than jet setting around the globe. At the time we meet Eva sadly her mum has passed away, her mum a total opposite of Eva, would think nothing of jumping on a plane to explore the four corners of the earth. 

Being back in her mum's home in the loft she stumbles upon a box full of paper strips, each strip containing dreams that her mum wished for but didn't get to fulfill.  Eva knowing she was the reason her mum didn't get to tick these dreams off as she fell pregnant with her, Eva decides now is the time that these dreams will come true and she will complete each and every one in her mum's memory.

With her round the world ticket booked and her suitcase packed for all sorts of adventure.  Eva is ready to start ticking off some dreams.  However standing at the airport waiting for her guide to meet her, she is surprised when Thor Anderson appears complete with rucksack on his back.

Her first impressions of Thor were that he was rude and arrogant but as they travel the world together she soon sees a different side to him, funny, caring and of course a hottie (it wouldn't be a Holly Martin book without one!!)  Eva and Thor cover the globe completing her mum's bucket list but Eva soon feels more for her travel companion and worries whether he feels the same, is it just a holiday romance or is he her forever.

I really enjoyed reading all the places they visit, the descriptions were on point and made me feel like I was there.  I loved reading that they stayed on Hamilton Island a place I visited myself on my honeymoon and it made me want to go back!  It was lovely to witness the difference in Eva throughout the story, finding her sense of adventure and not shying away from taking risks and simply just enjoying to live in the moment.  

Holly's books are addictive, packed full of humour, friendship, family, love with just a little bit of heat.  This has to be one of my favourites of Holly's so far and I would love to revisit the characters as I feel Eva's story has only just begun.

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