Rachale's Reads

Monday Catchup – 6th June – 19th June!

Missed the last two Sundays, but am posting this a day late so I don’t fall too far behind!

Read This Week:

Summer at Skylark Farm – Heidi Swain
 
Amber is a city girl at heart. So when her boyfriend Jake Somerville suggests they move to the countryside to help out at his family farm, she doesn’t quite know how to react. But work has been hectic and she needs a break so she decides to grasp the opportunity and make the best of it.
 
Dreaming of organic orchards, paddling in streams and frolicking in fields, Amber packs up her things and moves to Skylark Farm. But life is not quite how she imagined – it’s cold and dirty and the farm buildings are dilapidated and crumbling.
 
But Amber is determined to make the best of it and throws herself into farm life. But can she really fit in here? And can she and Jake stay together when they are so different?
 
Really enjoyed this book and extra points for having chickens on the cover! 
 
 

Always With Love – Giovanna Fletcher

Sophie’s got used to being the girlfriend of Billy Buskin, the biggest movie star in the world. Sort of.
 
But when she and Billy take a trip to visit his family in Los Angeles, she quickly discovers she’s totally unprepared for the chaos of Hollywood, the paparazzi and Billy’s controlling mother.
 
And when Billy extends his stay in LA, leaving Sophie to fly home to Rosefont Hill alone, it seems there’s more than just miles between them.
 
Now Sophie must decide if they can overcome their differences for good. Because not every love story lasts the distance . . .
 
I enjoyed this follow up to Billy and Me, though I had hoped for some more time spent in LA, if only to imagine the sunshine that we aren’t getting this summer.
 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling
 
As he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid’s motorbike and takes to the skies, leaving Privet Drive for the last time, Harry Potter knows that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are not far behind. The protective charm that has kept Harry safe until now is now broken, but he cannot keep hiding. The Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything Harry loves, and to stop him Harry will have to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. The final battle must begin – Harry must stand and face his enemy.
 
I’ve recently got all the Harry Potter audio books and thought I would listen to the last two first, as they are the books I remember the least. I love Stephen Fry’s narration, I finished ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince’ a few weeks ago and started this one straight away and finally finished it this week. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, definitely check out the audio books, they’re really well done!

Next Week’s Reads:

You Had Me At Merlot – Lisa Dickenson
 
Elle and Laurie are the last ones standing: they’re single, they’re not having babies any time soon and their weekends aren’t filled with joyful meetings about mortgages. For Elle, this is fine. She likes her independent life, but Laurie wants love and she wants it now.
 
So when Laurie begs Elle to come with her on a singles holiday to a beautiful vineyard in Tuscany, Elle is reluctant. She has no intention of swapping her perfectly lovely life for someone else’s idea of her Mr Perfect, but ten days under the Italian sun with her best friend and lashings of wine? How bad could that be?
 
Mentions wine in the title, is set in a vineyard and is released as the full book now, so it’s high time I read it. 
 
 
Burnt Paper Sky – Gilly Macmillan
 
Rachel Jenner turned her back for a moment. Now her eight-year-old son Ben is missing.
 
But what really happened that fateful afternoon?
 
Caught between her personal tragedy and a public who have turned against her, there is nobody left who Rachel can trust. But can the nation trust Rachel?
 
The clock is ticking to find Ben alive.
 
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
 
This sounds really fascinating and I simply cannot wait to read this book.