The simple fact of the matter is that Iris loves life. Maybe she’s forgotten that. Sometimes that happens, doesn’t it? To the best of us? All I have to do is remind her of that one simple fact.
Monday morning starts like any other – until Terry discovers her best friend Iris has gone missing. Finding her takes Terry, Iris and Terry’s confused father Eugene, into an extraordinary journey – one that will change all of their lives. And, along the way, what should be the worst six days of Terry’s life turn into the best.
Because friendship teaches us all to be brave. And, sometimes, the rules are made to be broken.
Rules Of The Road is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
This was such a beautiful read which manages to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
Firstly this book has a lovely flow to it which just draws the reader into the story and you soon get swept away with the brilliant story. It’s an incredibly thought provoking read as the main character, Iris has MS and through her I learnt a lot about the condition. It was incredibly poignant to read about the impact the disease has not just on the sufferer but also on their family.
I so loved this book and found it hard to put the book down as I was so absorbed in the story. It’s a story of discovery and adventure which takes the reader through every emotion possible. I found myself crying and laughing along with the characters as they go on their journey. There are a few twists and turns along the way but the beauty of the story is definitely the wonderful characters and the emotional story who will stay with me for a long time.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Ciara Geraghty was born and raised in Dublin. She started writing in her thirties and hasn’t looked back. She has three children and one husband and they have recently adopted a dog who, alongside their youngest daughter, is in charge of pretty much everything.
The face of the woman in the photograph was tilted upwards, as if enjoying the sunshine just for a moment, even as the wreckage of the bombed-out street lay behind her…
1944, Cornwall: Blinded by love, Vivienne Hamilton eloped to Paris with a Nazi prisoner-of-war, never to be seen again. A disgrace to her family, her name would not be mentioned by any of her relatives for over 75 years.
Present day, London: When Sophie discovers a photograph of her great aunt Vivi from World War Two, it throws her into a world of confusion. Because, as she learns about this secret relative, she quickly realises that the photograph doesn’t fit with her family’s story. It shows Vivi leaving an address associated with a spy network in London – a place she had no reason to be – and it is dated right before she disappeared.
Meanwhile Sophie’s own life feels as blasted and bombed as the blitzed city in the photograph she’s looking at. Her beautiful daughter – as full of joy and wild energy as Vivi had apparently once been – is gone; and Sophie’s heart has been left broken into pieces.
Retreating to the family home in rural Cornwall to seek solace from her pain and the feelings of guilt that she could have done more to protect her daughter, Sophie finds herself becoming obsessed with Vivi’s life.
But nothing can prepare Sophie for what she is about to uncover – the story of a woman who risked everything for the person she loved the most; and a secret family history that could be the key to Sophie’s own future.
A powerful, haunting and unforgettable read about love, heartbreak and betrayal set in Second World War Britain and France. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, Under a Scarlet Sky and My Name is Eva.
When We Were Brave is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I absolutely loved this author’s first book so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest book. I was definitely not disappointed as this was another beautiful and compelling read.
I loved both sides of this wonderful dual timeline story which made the book quite difficult to put down as I wanted to find out what would happen next. Vivi’s role as a secret agent during the war was a very interesting one and I enjoyed learning more about what the job entailed. The author makes her seem like a very realistic person as she included normal parts of her life too like her making friends and falling in love which I really enjoyed. Sophie’s task to try and learn more about her Great Aunt Vivi was great to follow too, especially as I would love a mystery to solve like she has.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic read which intrigued me from the start. I enjoyed following both storylines and watching them both come together. The author has clearly done a lot of research and I felt that I was actually there, with Sophie, experiencing everything alongside her which was fascinating. I thought that the author has put a bit of a moral into the story that you should try to build people up rather than tear them down and to believe in yourself, which is a timely message in light of Caroline Flack. (Though equally I might be overthinking this).
Huge thanks to Kim from Bookouture for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Suzanne Kelman is the Amazon International Bestselling author of “A View Across the Rooftops” published by Bookouture, an imprint for Hachette U.K. which sold over 50,000 copies in its first three months and “When We Were Brave,” published in February 2020.
Suzanne is also the author of the Amazon International Bestselling book, “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club”, published by Lake Union, which is the first book in the Southlea Bay series. Other books in the series include, “Rejected Writers Take the Stage” and “The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding”.
Kelman is also an award-winning writer/screenwriter whose accolades include the Best Comedy Feature Screenplay Award from the L.A. International Film Festival, the Gold Award from the California Film Awards, and the Van Gogh Award from the Amsterdam Film Festival.
In 2015 her script, Held, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures and was shortlisted to the top ten in the Academy Of Motion Pictures Nichols Fellowship competition.
As well as a screenwriter and a published author, Suzanne is also a playwright and her award-winning comedy play, “Over My Dead Body”, had its World Premiere at Outcast Theatre in Washington, Fall 2019.
Born in the United Kingdom, Suzanne now resides in Washington State.
She ran away through the pine trees when the soldiers came. Staggering into the hiding place, she felt a fluttering in her belly, like a butterfly grazing its wings, and knew instantly she had something to fight for.
Present day: When her fiancé is tragically killed in an accident, twenty-six-year-old Alba is convinced she’s to blame. Heavy with grief and guilt, she flees to her childhood home – the tiny village of Rofelle, nestled in a remote Tuscan valley. Out hiking one day to fill the long, lonely hours, she finds a mahogany box filled with silverware, hidden near the vine-covered ruins of an isolated house left abandoned after World War II. Could finding the rightful owner ease Alba’s heartache, and somehow make amends for her own wrongs?
In search of answers, Alba meets Massimo, an elderly man who wants to spend his final years pruning his fruit trees, alone with his painful memories. His face turns pale when Alba brings up the war, but she senses that their shared grief connects them. An unlikely friendship grows as little by little Massimo speaks of Lucia: a wild young girl with sparkling eyes who fell in love with an enemy soldier, bravely stole precious Italian treasures back from Nazi occupiers, and whose selfless courage and sacrifice altered the course of the war – and Massimo’s life.
With each visit, Alba gets closer to unravelling the mystery of the silver, and they both start putting their ghosts to rest. But there’s one part of Lucia’s story that Massimo might never be able to share – and he’s running out of time. Has Alba churned up emotions that are too painful to ever confront? Or, will unearthing a wartime secret that has lain buried for generations finally bring Massimo peace?
An absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking read that will sweep you away to the rugged mountains and lush olive groves of Tuscany. Fans of The Nightingale, Rhys Bowen and Julianne MacLean will be captivated.
The Tuscan Girl is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Wow this was a brilliant book which was incredibly powerful and heartbreaking at the same time.
The story is told in various different timelines following Alba as she tries to deal with her grief in the present day and Lucia and Florian in 1940’s Italy. Both storylines had a lot to offer and I found I enjoyed watching them both unfold. Lucia is an incredibly brave young lady and it was incredibly interesting to learn more about the Italian resistance which I didn’t know much about. Her life is full or unpredictability and danger as she tries to fight for her countries freedom. The present day timeline with the lovely relationship that Alba and Massimo develop was beautiful to read about and I really enjoyed watching them grow closer. It was nice to see that they were able to help each other deal with their grief.
I thought this was quite a fast paced story which I flew through as I was so enjoying the story. It was very poignant and humbling to realise how much people went through during the war and how much their lives changed forever. I thought it was very clever how the author managed to weave real historical events into the story and that, despite reading a lot of historical fiction, she managed to teach me something new.
Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy from Bookouture for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
I live in the beautiful Italian Apennines for several months each year. Such an inspiring location. My love affair with Italy was born at the age of seven when I moved with my family to Rome where we lived for six years. My father worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he made sure we learned Italian and visited many places during that time. Later on I studied Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury and afterwards worked in Sicily, where I met my husband. His Italian mother and British father met in Urbino in 1944 and married after a war-time romance. I wanted to write “The Tuscan Secret” not only for my amazing mother-in-law, Giuseppina, but also to make people aware of the courage of the resistance fighters and the generous hospitality shown by the poorest of families, including relatives of our Italian neighbours in our corner of war-torn Tuscany. This is my first novel and is a story about ordinary people who lived through extraordinary times. (Please note it is a revised version of “Never Forget” and “Tuscan Roots”). I was signed by wonderful BOOKOUTURE for a two-book deal and one of these was a slight re-write of “Tuscan Roots”. The new title is “The Tuscan Secret” and has more tension and intrigue to the story. I am so proud to be a part of this publishing “family”, as they describe themselves, who have patiently helped me to polish the original. It is available on Amazon and has reached the bestseller slots.
A sequel to this original book was self-published way back, at the end of April 2017. “Now and then in Tuscany” features the same family that appeared in “The Tuscan Secret”. The background is the transhumance, a practice that started in Etruscan times and continued right up until the 1950’s. Watch out for another Tuscan, war novel. “The Tuscan Girl” is available to pre-order right now and will be published on February 25th 2020, inspired by the many ruins I see on my walks in the Apennines. Each dilapidated house holds a story for me, whether true or invented. I’m delighted to announce that my publisher, Bookouture, has commissioned another two Italian novels from me for 2021 and 2022. Watch this space, as they say. My research for all these novels has been greatly helped by my kind Italian, country friends, who have vivid memories of both the Second World War and the harsh times they endured in their childhoods.
Italy is a passion but my stories are not always set there. I have also written a novella about two fun-loving ladies of “a certain age” who live by the seaside in Sussex and get up to all kinds of adventures. “Mavis and Dot” were launched on December 1st 2018 at St Paul’s Centre, Worthing, West Sussex and have received fab reviews. I have a sequel in mind. All profits from sales go to research into cancer and I am pleased with the amounts that I’ve been able to deliver for this worthwhile charity. How many of us have lost friends and family through this vile disease?
Welcome to a world where every desire is visible, rising from the body as a plume of Smoke. A world where bodies speak to one another and infect each other with desire, anger, greed. It is 1909 and this world stands on a precipice – some celebrate this constant whisper of skin to skin, and some seek to silence it forever.
Enter Eleanor, a young woman with a strange power over Smoke and niece of the Lord Protector of England. Running from her uncle and home, she finds shelter in a New York theatre troupe.
Then Nil, a thief hiding behind a self-effacing name. He’s an orphan snatched from a jungle-home and suspects that a clue to his origins may lie hidden in the vaults of the mighty, newly-risen East India Company.
And finally Thomas, one of the three people to release Smoke into the world. On a clandestine mission to India, he hopes to uncover the origins of Smoke and lay to rest his doubts about what he helped to unleash.
In a story that crosses continents – from India to England’s Minetowns – these three seek to control the power of Smoke. As their destinies entwine, a cataclysmic confrontation looms: the Smoke will either bind them together or forever tend the world.
Soot is published on the 27th November 2020 in ebook and hardback. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Soot is a highly imaginative, immersive book which was very thought provoking and is definitely a story that will stay with me.
The world that the author has created is an absolutely fascinating one and I thought the idea of people’s emotions being visible in smoke form was a very interesting one. Like the characters in the book I was divided as to whether I’d like this to happen in real life. Some emotions being visible would probably be helpful where others would perhaps be embarrassing as the author explores. Some parts of the book seemed familiar to me as there are definitely some similarities with the Victorian era as it has the same dark feel to it.
There are lots of different plots running alongside each other which were interesting to follow and I enjoyed watching them all slowly merge together. This is quite a long book which might put some readers off but I felt that this was great for the story as it allowed me to become fully absorbed into the world and the characters lives. The ending was interesting and the way it is left makes me think that there might be another book set in this world.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Will from W&N books for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Dan Vyleta is the son of Czech refugees who emigrated to Germany in the late 1960s. After growing up in Germany, he left to attend university in the UK where he completed a PhD in History at King’s College, Cambridge. His debut novel, Pavel & I, gathered immediate international acclaim and was translated into eight languages. His second novel, The Quiet Twin, was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and his third, The Crooked Maid, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the J.I Segal Award. When not reading or writing novels, Dan Vyleta watches cop shows, or listens to CDs from his embarrassingly large collection of jazz albums. He lives in Stratford-upon-Avon.
THE STUNNING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB SENSATION DAUGHTER
‘AN ENDING THAT GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS’ Claire Douglas, author of Then She Vanishes _________
Their children are friends first. They hit it off immediately, as kids do.
So the parents are forced to get to know each other. But as they get closer, they start to take their eyes off their children.
And while they have been looking the other way, evil has crept in.
Every parent’s biggest nightmare is about to come true…
Little Friends is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I’m a huge fan of this author’s books so was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest book. I was definitely not disappointed as this was another gripping and unsettling read which was very difficult to put down.
Firstly I love books set around old friendship groups as you never quite know what secrets are going to be reveal and where the story will go. This story was no exception and I enjoyed getting to know the three couples better. I definitely wasn’t expecting the story to go the way it did and the many twists or revelations took me by surprise. Just when I thought I’d figured out which way the story was going to go, something happened to change everything.
The pace of this book was brilliant and made it easy to read. There was always something going on to keep my attention and I found myself unable to put the book down as I really wanted to know what would happen next. There are some fairly dark subjects covered in this book but the author has a way of including them without them seeming overdone but still written in such a way to make them affect you. I found it very compelling and quite powerful to see how these were dealt with, especially how it affects everyone after everything has come out.
Huge thanks to Sriya from Michael St Joseph for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
While working as a GP, Jane Shemilt completed a postgraduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol University and went on to study for the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa, gaining both with distinction. Her first novel, Daughter, was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, shortlisted for the Edgar Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, and went on to become the bestselling debut novel of 2014.
She and her husband, a professor of neurosurgery, have five children and live in Bristol.
Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London’s Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst, that Clara has died in care, she is astonished when she is told she has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl – and why.
Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend – an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital – persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
From the bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds . . .
The Foundling is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I was a huge fan of this author’s first book so I couldn’t wait to see what she’d come up with next. I wasn’t disappointed as this is historical fiction at its finest!
Firstly I love books that manage to include real historical details into the story as it’s very enjoyable to look up extra information on the internet. The realisation that The Foundling Hospital actually existed and people were in the awful situation described at the beginning of the book was incredibly heart wrenching. Even worse that rich people,who could have helped, used to buy tickets to enjoy watching people in such a desperate situation is mind blowing and I really can’t believe it used to happen!
The author has clearly done a lot of research and I enjoyed reading about all the little details that helped bring the era to life. It was interesting to read about the stark differences between the classes at that time and how little help was available for the poor.
Overall I thought this was a highly emotional, absorbing read which I flew through in a couple of hours as I wanted to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed following the believable characters and trying to work out what had happened. As you can probably guess from the blurb it is a very emotional story and I often found myself getting teary whilst reading. I’m very thankful that society has moved on and we have different attitudes now.
Huge thanks to Tracy for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, The Independent, The Sun and Fabulous. Her first book The Familiars was the bestselling debut novel of 2019. The Foundling is her second novel.
Elijah has lived in the Memory Wood for as long as he can remember. It’s the only home he’s ever known.
Elissa has only just arrived. And she’ll do everything she can to escape.
When Elijah stumbles across thirteen-year-old Elissa, in the woods where her abductor is hiding her, he refuses to alert the police. Because in his twelve years, Elijah has never had a proper friend. And he doesn’t want Elissa to leave.
Not only that, Elijah knows how this can end. After all, Elissa isn’t the first girl he’s found inside the Memory Wood.
As her abductor’s behaviour grows more erratic, Elissa realises that outwitting strange, lonely Elijah is her only hope of survival. Their cat-and-mouse game of deception and betrayal will determine both their fates, and whether either of them will ever leave the Memory Wood . . .
The Memory Wood is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Wow what a fantastic, dark and twisty read this was. It’s a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away!
This book just gripped me from the start as I found myself drawn into the terrifying unpredictable situation the children find themselves in. The descriptions are so vivid that at times I felt like I was there in the cabin, experiencing everything alongside the children My heart would start beating faster or I found myself literally holding my breath at certain scenes which shows how involved I was.
The characters were fantastic creations who I felt a lot of sympathy for. I liked how different the two of them were and how they brought different things to the story. I became very fond of them through the book and wished I could somehow rescue them from their predicament.
Overall I thought this was a well plotted and fast paced book which was incredibly twisty, making it hard to put down. It is a very dark read which seemed like Grimm’s fairy tales but tripled! The ending was a great way to end the book and it is definitely one that will stay with me as it was quite disturbing.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Thomas Hill from Transworld for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Sam Lloyd grew up in Hampshire, making up stories and building secret hideaways in his local woods. These days he lives in Surrey with his wife, three young sons and a dog that likes to howl. The Memory Wood, his debut thriller, has sold in fifteen international territories.
Roses of Marrakech is a breathtaking romantic fiction, set between 1944 and 2016. The story follows 36 year-old primary school teacher, Ivy Fielding, who suffers from a lack of self esteem due to a facial birthmark. Her great-aunt Rose, who has always been her main source of emotional support, has just died, leaving her a bequest as well as her Lavenham cottage to Ivy and her mother. Ivy discovers tragedies in her family’s past while reading her late great-aunt’s diary, and this inspires her to fulfil a childhood dream and she jets off to Marrakech for the summer holidays. Set against the backdrop of wartime Suffolk and the present day spice-scented souks of Morocco, Ivy follows a trail of discovery that will change her life and those around her, forever. But when uncomfortable secrets of the past begin to surface, can she find the courage to confront them, or is it easier to walk away?
Roses Of Marrakech is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Roses Of Marrakech is a brilliant, dual timeline story which is both wonderfully romantic and heartwarming.
The two storylines follow members of the same family through the years from world war two to the present day. Unusually for me I enjoyed following both timelines as they both had different things to offer. I always enjoy dual timelines stories that are set in the second works war so I obviously enjoyed following Roses life and her romance during that time. Ivy’s story was very interesting as it’s a story about a woman discovering who she really is after years of bullying due to a birthmark. I really enjoyed watching her grow in confidence during the book.
One of the things that really stand out is how vivid the author’s descriptions are which make the settings come to life. I especially loved her descriptions of Marrakech with all the wonderful food and culture there. It has made me want to visit there as soon as I can!
Overall I thought this was a well written story which I enjoyed reading. It was great following the family and see how it develops over the years.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About the Author:
Rachel Clare lives in Lancaster and has a BA (Hons) in English and French, a MA in Modern Languages Research and a Postgraduate Diploma in Newspaper Journalism. She started to write this book after to travelling to Morocco and Lavenham a few years ago, taking along with her a notebook and a pen to make notes of her impressions of all of the places that she visited and experienced.
In the midst of war, he found love In the midst of darkness, he found courage In the midst of tragedy, he found hope
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
What will you find from his story?
Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape.
As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all – and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face – they must journey to find each other again.
Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. Told with deceptive simplicity, it is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling.
The Beekeeper Of Aleppo is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
This is such a beautiful, moving and important book which I think everyone should read. It’s a book that has deeply affected me and will stay with me for a long time.
The story switches from the present day to the characters lives in Syria. Firstly I have to admit to not knowing much about life in Syria before the war broke out and it was very poignant, though interesting to see how great it was. I knew a little about the horrors that occured in Syria but I think most of it has been kept out of the media, so it was shocking to learn about the awful things that happen. The author does this in a clever way as she lets the reader understand how horrendous life was but without going into too much detail as to upset the reader and stop them reading. The stories that are told in this book are ones that will stick with me forever.
Although an emotional and, at times, heart breaking story it also managed to be a beautiful story full of hope and love. The lovely relationships that Nuri has between all of his friends was great to read about and stops the story becoming too bogged down in sadness. The fact that this book is based on real stories makes it deeply affecting and thought provoking, particularly about how refugees are treated. This would make a great book club read as there atlots of things to discuss and I’m not surprised that it’s been included in Richard & Judy’s bookclub selection.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Brought up in London, Christy Lefteri is the child of Cypriot refugees. She is a lecturer in creative writing at Brunel University. The Beekeeper of Aleppo was born out of her time working as a volunteer at a Unicef supported refugee centre in Athens.
Can a fake relationship help her win back the one that got away?
When Alice ‘Murph’ Murphy’s beloved mother died, she promised to keep the family bakery in Graceville, Georgia afloat—even if it meant letting her high-school sweetheart and best friend, Nash Harris, go. For years, Murph has been biding her time, waiting for Nash to come home.
So when he strolls into Piece O’ Cake, Murph’s heart skips a beat—until he hands her an invitation to his wedding… There are painful secrets in both their pasts that only the two of them share, and Murph can’t bear the thought of Nash belonging to someone else.
There’s only one thing Murph can think of to do: fake a relationship with local bar owner and old friend Harley Shaw to remind Nash of what he’s losing, and win him back for good.
Nash is Murph’s best friend, a vivid reminder of her childhood and all the things she’s lost—but the more time Murph and Harley spend together, the more the lines between real and pretend begin to blur. Can Murph choose between the one that got away and the one who never left—and heal her aching heart?
An emotional, compelling page-turner from your next romance obsession, Shann McPherson, about the power of friendship and finding love where you least expect it.
Where We Belong is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
Extract:
Chapter One
I push my glasses up my nose for the millionth time, and while holding my breath and with one eye narrowed, I wipe a tiny smudge of frosting from the silver turntable holding Mr. and Mrs. Robertson’s fiftieth wedding anniversary cake. It may have taken me two full days and most of last night, but I’ve finally finished. Exhaling the breath I’ve been holding for a beat too long, I take a step back to really appreciate my craftsmanship. Four layers of lemon and blueberry perfection, covered in a fluffy whipped buttercream frosting, decorated with beautiful red roses, delicate peonies, and a smattering of baby’s breath, all of which have been hand-piped by yours truly.
I place a hand on my hip, smiling proudly. “Alice Murphy, once again you’ve outdone yourself,” I whisper under my breath, mentally high-fiving myself.
The bell above the door to the shop jingles, pulling me from my musings, and I walk through from the kitchen to the front of the store, still smiling at the thought of my latest masterpiece.
“Welcome to Piece O’ Cake,” I sing in a cheerful customer service voice. “How can I help yo—” Stopping dead in my tracks, my eyes go wide as I gawp at the unexpected figure standing in the middle of the shop. He’s shadowed by the afternoon sun shining in through the windows, backlighting him to nothing more than a darkened silhouette, and I blink hard, unsure whether or not I’m imagining things. But then he speaks. And I would know that voice anywhere. This is definitely not my imagination playing tricks on me.
“Hey, Murph.” The shadow takes a step forward, coming in to the glow of the overhead lights, and I’m immediately enamored by that all-too-familiar grin.
“N-Nash?” I gasp.
His smile is bright and those eyes. I’d remember those eyes anywhere after spending such a big part of my life dreaming about them.
“Oh my God!” I scream, covering my mouth with trembling hands until I finally come to, ripping off my apron before practically throwing myself over the counter. Jumping up, I wrap my arms around his neck, and emotion gets the better of me as I stand there in the familiarity of his warm embrace with tears of happiness streaming down my cheeks.
He’s here.
The love of my life.
He’s home.
About The Author:
With big dreams of being a published author since she was an eleven-year-old girl writing Beverly Hills 90210 fan fiction before fan fiction was even a thing, Shann McPherson has been writing angsty, contemporary romances for most of her thirty-something years. Living in sunny Queensland, Australia, when she’s not writing Shann enjoys making memories with her husband and cheeky toddler son, drinking wine, and singing completely off-key to One Direction’s entire discography.
Over The Rainbow Blog 