November Book Round-Up

If a book is marked * I very kindly received it from the publisher directly or via Netgalley. Here's what I've been reading in November:

*Fall by West Camel - I'm taking part in the Blog Tour next week so I'll share my review then of this cracking read.

*Stolen Ones - DI Kim Stone Book #15 by Angela Marsons - how I adore this series and Kim! 

Steven Harte comes to the station claiming to know what happened to a girl who went missing without a trace 25 years ago. He wants to help Kim but on his terms only. Kim and the Team are investigating a similar crime where a young child has been snatched from the local nursery.

Alex is due to be released from prison and is hoping that Kim will help with her parole in exchange for news about her father. She really shouldn't underestimate her... 

It was great to catch up with well loved characters and it made me smile to recognise some well kent names as new characters!
It's a twisty tale which had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Highly recommend it.

*A Man of Honor - the prequel to A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Having adore A Woman of Substance back in the day I was delighted to drop back into the past and read Blackie's story which didn't disappoint. 

Orphaned and alone 13 year old Blackie O'Neill leaves Ireland to go and live with his mother's brother in Leeds. It's here he will become a skilled carpenter and dreams of building houses including a very large and grand one of his own. 

He meets Emma Harte on the desolate Yorkshire moors and learns she works for the Fairleys, who she hates with a vengeance. It's a great read and so richly drawn. I now want to re-read A Woman of Substance!

*The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill by C S Robertson - I simply loved this sometimes dark and disturbing read & Grace! It's not published until January so I'll share my review then.

*Before my Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney - I simply loved Mary, the lead character in the story. I took part in the blog tour. See my review HERE. It's one of my favourite books this year.

Awaiting publication:

*The Lost Girls by Heather Young - I absolutely loved this story which is told then and 60 years later. Then is 1935 and the summer that the Evans family's lives were changed forever. They spent every summer at the family holiday home at the remote Minnesota lake. On the day they are going home and back to their lives, little sister, Emily goes missing. She's searched for far and wide but there's no trace and it rips the family apart. Emily's sisters and mother spend the rest of their lives at the lake house forever hoping that Emily will return..

In the present day, middle sister Lucy is the only one left alive and lives there alone with her memories. She knows she doesn't have long and writes down all which happened that summer in the hope that her grandniece, Justine might care. 

The story is laced with secrets, lies, untruths, family history along with some quite shocking reveals which are done subtly and sympathetically. When Justine hears she's inherited the lake house it means she and her daughters can escape her controlling boyfriend and start again. Her only neighbour at the lake is an old man who appears to know more about that summer than he's letting on. When her mother gets wind of perhaps loosing her inheritance she too is drawn to the Lake House.  
Never one to give up the controlling ex appears and tries to take control of Justine and her destiny. I enjoyed both parts of the story and especially the characters of Lucy and Justine. Would recommend.

What have you been reading this month?