Yvonne
I grabbed myself these three lovely books from NetGalley this week.
Don’t worry, mount TBR is perfectly safe, as they are all scheduled into my reading!
‘THE GLASS HOUSE‘ by BEATRICE COLIN – (published by Flatiron Books)
Beatrice Colin’s The Glass House is a gorgeously transporting novel filled with turn-of-the-century detail and lush blooms, about two women from vastly different worlds.
Scotland, 1912. Antonia McCulloch’s life hasn’t gone the way she planned. She and her husband, Malcolm, have drifted apart; her burgeoning art career came to nothing; and when she looks in the mirror, she sees disappointment. But at least she will always have Balmarra, her family’s grand Scottish estate, and its exquisite glass house, filled with exotic plants that can take her far away.
When her estranged brother’s wife, Cicely Pick, arrives unannounced, with her young daughter and enough trunks to last the summer, Antonia is instantly suspicious. What besides an inheritance dispute could have brought her glamorous sister-in-law all the way from India? Still, Cicely introduces excitement and intrigue into Antonia’s life, and, as they get to know one another, Antonia realizes that Cicely has her own burdens to bear. Slowly, a fragile friendship grows between them. But when the secrets each are keeping become too explosive to conceal, the truth threatens their uneasy balance and the course of their entire lives.
‘THE PACT‘ by DAWN GOODWIN – (published by Aria Fiction)
I’ll kill yours, if you kill mine.
Maddie’s life has come crashing down around her. Her husband has left her and moved on with a new woman and baby. No longer can she run from the past that’s been haunting her. The past has destroyed her future.
In a new flat, trying to start a new life, Maddie meets Jade and her young son, Ben. All too swiftly Maddie finds the dark thoughts whirring through her brain. But Jade’s different, she loves Ben, doesn’t she?
As the two women begin to open up about their exes over a few glasses of wine, Jade conjures a plan, a pact. She’ll kill Maddie’s if Maddie kills hers. Laughing it off, Maddie returns to her normal life. But what if it wasn’t a joke at all…
‘THE ITALIAN GIRLS‘ by DEBBIE RIX – (published by Bookouture)
Inspired by the incredible true stories of two women in wartime Italy, this is a heart-wrenching and unforgettable tale of love, resistance, betrayal and hope.
Each morning Livia Moretti makes her way from an apartment overlooking Florence’s famous Duomo to a nearby café, where she drinks espresso and reads the newspaper. To the crowds of tourists who pass by, snapping selfies, nothing about Livia will be memorable. She is simply an old lady. They walk on without knowing the part she played in ensuring the future of this beautiful city. And to Livia now, those dark days feel very far away too. But today, when she opens the paper, she sees a name she has not heard for a long time. A name that will bring memories flooding back of Nazi troops marching through the city and the dangers she faced as a young woman, carrying out secret missions for the resistance.
A siren of the silver screen, Isabella Bellucci cultivated all the right connections to ensure her rise to stardom. But when Rome falls to the Nazis, Isabella is suddenly faced with the choice between protecting herself, and all she has worked for, or sacrificing everything to save the man she loves. As the war rages across Europe, a terrible misunderstanding causes the fates of Isabella and Livia to become forever intertwined. And each woman must decide what they’re willing to risk, to protect the ones they hold dear from a brutal enemy.
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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week.
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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The Pact and The Italian Girls sound like the type of books I would enjoy. I’m trying so hard to stay away from netgalley until I’ve caught up on the books I have outstanding. I am sorely tempted. I hope you enjoy them.
Hi Veronica,
I don’t know if you are auto-approved on NetGalley by any of the publishers, however if it is any consolation, both of the books you have your eye on are ‘by request’ only and I don’t know about you, but that can sometimes put me off bothering, so your TBR pile could be safe!! 🙂
I have just started ‘The Italian Girls’, as I have a fixed deadline for that review.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
All three sound very good, Yvonne! I’ve finally got my NG list in reasonable shape. Only 5 to read and my feedback ratio is 99%. Took quarantine to get there… I guess that’s a silver lining? 😉
Hi Mary,
OMG! having read what both yourself and Veronica have to say about your NG lists, I am completely hanging my head in shame!
I don’t tend to download books for the sake of it, however some of them are for Blog Tour content only and then I simply run out of time to read them all in full, as some of my other commitments require a complete read and review.
My NG shelf is therefore overloaded with downloaded titles and my feedback ratio is really bad!
I think I need to be quarantined for the rest of my life and NG needs to ban me, before my account is going to be anything like under control. I wish I had never started this discussion (LOL) 🙂 🙂
Oh, Yvonne, I’m sorry for the reading anxiety I’ve added to (piled on??). I think we just have different ways of handling blog tour materials. In my case, if I don’t plan to read an ARC (or have time to read it) I won’t download. That’s all. And I learned that the hard way 😉
It’s okay Mary, I have broad shoulders and that rather strange British sense of humour!!! I certainly don’t take things like this to heart 🙂
I have rather come to the same conclusion myself about the Blog Tour books. If I need to provide my own extract then maybe a download is necessary, however if the publisher provides content, then all I really need is a cover image and I can get that plenty of other ways.
That’s me turning over a new leaf 🙂 🙂
The Pact sounds like a very interesting book and I love the cover as well. It’s not exactly a new idea, as there was at least one movie with the same plot, but I can’t remember the name (something with killing their bosses).
The Italian girls is too very interesting. I’m studying this period at university (soon) and I should keep this in mind, in case I have time for some fiction books.
Hi Anca,
‘The Italian Girls’ has literally just been downloaded to my Kindle and I haven’t had chance to even open the first page yet. However, as it is based on a true story, there is a bit of blurb about that right at the beginning, which might help make your mind up for you …
“This novel is a work of fiction, but is based on the real-life experiences of Italian women during the Second World War. The character of Livia is an amalgam of two university students in Florence who worked for the Resistance. The other, Isabella, is based on the life of the film star Maria Denis, who was caught between the Fascist authorities which ran the film industry in Rome, and her devotion to the film director and member of the Resistance, Luchino Visconti”
I hope that is some help to you and thanks for stopping by 🙂
Thank you xx
You are welcome. I have just begun reading and the first couple of chapters have flown by 🙂
I am curious about The Pact. Enjoy them all, and thanks for sharing.
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Hi Lorraine,
I have featured a couple of Dawn’s previous thrillers, so would have no trouble at all in recommending this one, although I’m sure I have come across another book with a very similar storyline, not so long ago!
Not that it makes much difference, as every author has their own individual style of writing and interpretation of a situation, and in such a packed genre, how many totally unique storylines can there possibly be!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
Three entirely different books, yet each appeals to me in its own way. At first glance, I think the first sounds the most interesting to me (I like the cover, too!), but I’m open to any of them. I’ll be watching your blog closely as you (hopefully) feature more about all of them.
Hi Kelly,
I am only actually tied down to a scheduled review date for ‘The Italian Girls’, which I have just started reading, so I probably shan’t have the time to publish any extra posts about that one.
The other two are actually in my reading schedule, but are not date specific, so I hope to be able to share a few extra bites of information about them in due course.
As you say, three totally different genres and I just can’t choose between them, although with my track record, I suppose ‘The Pact’ would be my go to choice.
I hope that you have some good reading lined up for the week ahead 🙂
Three good looking books for you. Have a good week and enjoy!
Hi Martha,
I do enjoy mixing up my reading genres and there is definitely something here to suit every mood!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope this is a good week for you 🙂
Nice…they all look good. 🙂
ENJOY!!
They do indeed, Elizabeth!
I have read a couple of Dawn Goodwin’s earlier books, so I know how good this one will be. However the other two are both by new to me authors. I have just started reading ‘The Italian Girls’ as I have a review date pre-scheduled and so far it is really good!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that all is well with you 🙂