The London House

GIVEAWAY

REAY, KATHERINE

THE LONDON HOUSE

Uncovering a dark family secret sends one woman through the history of Britain's World War II spy network and glamorous 1930s Paris to save her family's reputation.

Caroline Payne thinks it's just another day of work until she receives a call from Mat Hammond, an old college friend and historian. But pleasantries are cut short. Mat has uncovered a scandalous secret kept buried for decades: in World War II, Caroline's British great-aunt betrayed family and country to marry her German lover.

Determined to find answers and save her family's reputation, Caroline flies to her family's ancestral home in London. She and Mat discover diaries and letters that reveal her grandmother and great-aunt were known as the "Waite sisters." Popular and witty, they came of age during the interwar years, a time of peace and luxury filled with dances, jazz clubs, and romance. They buoyant tone of the correspondence soon yields to sadder revelations as the sisters grow apart, and one leaves home for the glittering fashion scene of Paris, despite rumblings of a coming world war.

Each letter brings more questions. Was Caroline's great-aunt actually a tractor and Nazi collaborator, or is there a more complex truth buried in the past? Together, Caroline and Mat uncover stories of spies and secrets, love and heartbreak, and the events of one fateful evening in 1941 that changed everything.

In this rich historical novel from award-winning author Katherine Reay, a young woman is tasked with writing the next chapter of her family's story. But Caroline must choose whether to embrace a love of her own and proceed with caution if her family's decades-old wounds are to heal without tearing them eve further apart.

My Review:

Another compelling novel from Katherine Reay chock full of emotional angst and desperate hope. And it's part epistolary since the historical story is told mostly through letters and diary entries. So, yes, that means this is a dual timeline novel as well -- eeeppppp! 

I think what struck me the most about this novel is the way it shows the detrimental fallout that comes from not facing and dealing with our personal truths. Caroline's family is shattered -- she's the third generation of brokenness and doesn't understand why. Her relationship with her father has always been fraught and she's practically estranged from her mother. That's made her guarded, pushing people away before they can reject her (or so she thinks.) Her character growth is phenomenal and took me on an emotional roller coaster ride that kept my tummy tied up in knots. 

Mat is a college friend who could have been more if Caroline hadn't pushed him away. His sudden appearance in her life is shocking enough, but the claims he makes about her great-aunt being a Nazi sympathizer shatters the last remnants of her fractured family. Talk about an angsty romantic arc!

Love the multi-layered genealogical mystery and the way researching her family's past helps restore their present issues...and frees Caroline to believe in herself and trust in a hope-filled future.

I listened to the audible edition of The London House. Madeleine Maby's narration style was a perfect match for Katherine Reay's exquisite storytelling. This is another book where my 'reading' enjoyment was enhanced by listening to the audio edition. 

Please note: While not a Christian Fiction selection, this is a clean read with inspiring themes centred around family, forgiveness, courage and trust.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The London House, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 20 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Of Literature and Lattes

GIVEAWAY

REAY, KATHERINE
OF LITERATURE AND LATTES

Return to the cozy and delightful town of Winsome, where two people discover the grace of letting go and the joy found in unexpected change.

After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having exhasuted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup and move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.

Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he's been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money -- and he's not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them -- but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.

With the help of Winsome's small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.

My Review:

Absolutely love that cover! I am such a shallow reader because I instinctively judge a book by its cover and this one promises so much. Did it deliver? Absolutely! 

As usual, Reay scraped my emotions raw and then poured salt over my wounds and I loved every agonizing minute of it! Be prepared for a angst and drama and the tumultuous relationships of broken people trying to find their way to a better future. There's a strong message about forgiveness that plays to varying degrees in the lives of multiple characters.

In fact, this novel is told from many points of view. I don't think I've read a book with so many viewpoints! Some are fleeting -- only a scene or two --  while others, like Jeremy and Alyssa, have more page time. So, if you're not a fan of multiple POV, this might not be the book for you. I found it really drew on the sense of community and I was quite captivated by all the voices clamoring in my head. :-)

Readers were introduced to Winsome in The Printed Letter Bookshop and you'll definitely get more out of this novel if you've read that one first. Especially when it comes to Alyssa's relationship with her mother.

Linda was one of the main characters in the first book so readers of TPLB have the benefit of experiencing her miraculous transformation. Because of that, I understood how difficult growing up as Linda's daughter would have been so I was more sympathetic to Alyssa's volatile reactions to her mother. But other readers were turned off by her. The author does a great job of bringing insight into this challenging mother/daughter relationship throughout the course of the story so if this is your first visit to Winsome, give  Alyssa the benefit of the doubt and I guarantee you'll find compassion and understanding by the end.

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Laura Kirman. She did an excellent job but I have to admit that it took me about an hour of listening before I became accustomed to hearing her British accent in an American setting. Only the dialogue was spoken with a mid-western twang while the rest of the narration was all Brit.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Of Literature and Lattes, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 30 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Printed Letter Bookshop

GIVEAWAY

REAY, KATHERINE
THE PRINTED LETTER BOOKSHOP

Love, friendship, and family find a home at the Printed Letter Bookshop.

One of Madeline Cullen's happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly twenty years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline's heart toward her once-treasured aunt -- and the now struggling bookshop left in her care.

While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter's two employees have other ideas. Reeling from a recent divorce, Janet finds sanctuary within the books and within the decadent window displays she creates. Claire, though quieter than the acerbic Janet, feels equally drawn to the daily rhythms of the shop and its loyal clientele, finding a renewed purpose within its walls.

When Madeline's professional life falls apart, and a handsome gardener upends all her preconceived notions, she questions her plans and her heart. Has she been too quick to dismiss her aunt's beloved shop? And even if she has, the women's best combined efforts may be too little too late.

The Printed Letter Bookshop is a captivating story of good books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings, and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship.

My Review:

"I believe God can do tremendous things through you -- once you stop trying to wield all the power yourself." (p 226)

Seriously, you can't go wrong with a book shop setting as far as I'm concerned, but Katherine Reay takes this to such a higher level that I'm pretty much gobsmacked. How to write a review?

The basics: Three women at crossroads in their lives. Each with secret hurts and fears. All battling inner demons that try to push them down. Connected by the legacy of an incredible woman whose loving good works continue on even after her death.  It's told from three points of view. Their stories are expertly woven together -- the pacing, the way the walls they've built around themselves slowly crumble and fierce friendship ensues...well, it's incredibly powerful and moving. But there's so much more that I can't seem to find the words to say.

Like how this book pulled me into an emotional upheaval and then spewed me out tender and sore, but renewed somehow. The way it spoke truths to me. Simple ones about family and faith and acceptance. About looking beyond the prickliness to find something comforting to hold onto. About the power in story -- whether they are printed out or lived out. And maybe, the most important of all, the power of love. Whether's it's the heavenly kind or the romantic kind or the enduring friendship kind. That's what the essence of this book really is. Love. Pure and simple. And life altering.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If  you would like a chance to win a copy of The Printed Letter Bookshop, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 13 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

The Austen Escape

GIVEAWAY

REAY, KATHERINE
THE AUSTEN ESCAPE

Falling into the past will change their futures forever.

Mary Davies finds safety in her ordered and productive life. Working as an engineer, she genuninely enjoys her job and her colleagues -- particularly a certain adorable and intelligent counsultant. But something is missing. When Mary's estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer offers her a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in England, she reluctantly agrees in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways.

But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes she lives in Jane Austen's Bath.While Isabel rests and delights in the leisure of a Regency lady, attended by other costume-clad guests, Mary uncovers startling truths about their shared past, who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who now stands between them.

Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings arise, and dancing ensues as this company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversations, work out their lives and hearts.

My Review:

An entertaining romp through all things Austen. If you're a Jane fan you will be in full swoon mode by the halfway point in this novel. If you're not a Jane fan, you will still be swooning because Nathan thrills Mary with an 'odd sense of excitement-meets-comfort' (p 34) that keeps her (and readers) in a discombobulated state.

Mary is quirkily scientific and trying to keep up with her clever and crazy mind is...delightfully confusing at times. Nathan is a solid hero who isn't sure how to read the mixed messages Mary is giving out. Have to give him bonus points for persevering to the bitter end!

The whole notion of an authentic Austen getaway complete with costumes and role playing is quite intriguing and crazy fun to read about. But this isn't just a lighthearted love story -- though there is some of that. This is also a complicated look at past and present and the human need to escape when reality becomes too much to handle.

The only thing missing (for me, anyway) is the absence of an inspirational thread and since The Austen Escape is published by Thomas Nelson, a Christian publisher, I was hoping for one. Still, a great story, enjoyable read but more of a mass market novel than Christian Fiction genre.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Austen Escape, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday January 28 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

A Portrait of Emily Price

GIVEAWAY

REAY, KATHERINE
A PORTRAIT OF EMILY PRICE

Art restorer Emily Price has never encountered anything she can't fix -- until she meets Ben, an Italian chef, who seems just right. But when Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family is another matter...

Emily Price -- fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist -- dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.

But Chef Benito Vassallo's relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle's faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well -- inviting her into his world and into his heart.

Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben's proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben's tightly knit family. Only Ben's father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily's life and art begin to blossom, and Italy's beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.

Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben's world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has show her are possible?

My Review:

Rich. Decadent. Meant to be savored. A profoundly beautiful story! Reay brings the complexities of human relationship to life with such intriguing emotion!

 A head-over-heels whirlwind romance anchors the story even as it sends the characters into a tailspin of discovery. As an art restorer, Emily spends her days painstakingly uncovering damaged layers to reveal the truth hidden beneath. Meeting Ben becomes the catalyst for discovering real life truths hidden beneath layers of pain and loss. Such an interesting career/life parallel brilliantly delivered through the author's exquisite word choice. There were times I just had to stop and sit with a scene a spell.

Best book quote ever comes from Papa Lucio who has a penchant for selecting books to teach a lesson. "Literature teaches us empathy." (p.245) And that's exactly what this story does on so many levels. High recommended.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of A Portrait of Emily Price please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday March 26 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Lizzy & Jane

GIVEAWAY

Reay, Katherine
Lizzy & Jane

Lizzy and Jane never saw eye to eye. But when illness brings them together, they discover they may be more like Austen’s famous sisters after all.

Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, Lizzy fled from her home, her family, and her cherished nickname. After working tirelessly to hone her gift of creating magic in the kitchen, Elizabeth has climbed the culinary ladder to become the head chef of her own New York restaurant, Feast. But as her magic begins to elude her, Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again.

In a desperate attempt to reconnect with her gift, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals for Jane as she undergoes chemotherapy. She also meets Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who, like Elizabeth, are trying to heal from the wounds of the past.

As she tends to Jane's needs, Elizabeth's powers begin to return to her, along with the family she left behind so long ago. Then Paul tries to entice her back to New York, and she is faced with a hard decision: stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane, or return to New York and the life she worked so hard to create?  

My Review:

Astonishingly real and raw -- almost painful to real in places. Reay shows the complexities of a dysfunctional family as they struggle with the cancer in their midst. We live it all through Elizabeth's point of view. What an incredible journey of growth. I could feel her stretching and clawing her way through the grim reality that surrounds her. Sometimes she's brilliant and other times she falls back into protective mode and I just want to shake some sense into her. But I'm always on her side, cheering her on, praying she has the courage to emotionally heal herself and her family. A riveting read that has definitely changed me for the better.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Lizzy & Jane please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday April 12 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Dear Mr. Knightley

REAY, KATHERINE
DEAR MR. KNIGHTLEY

Dear Mr. Knightley is a contemporary epistolary novel with a delightful dash of Jane Austen.

Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain.

After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress.

As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her—a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own—secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

My Review:

Daddy Long-Legs for adults. Brilliantly done.

Jean Webster penned Daddy Long-Legs in 1912 and it has become a classic in Young Adult literature. It has even been made into movies and plays and was an absolute favourite of mine as a kid. I have even read the book multiple times as an adult. There's something about the story that just captured my imagination. I hold that book in high-esteem so I approached Dear Mr. Knightley with some trepidation. But though Reay has stayed true to the basic plot of the original story, she has added new depth and dimension to her 21st century version.

Sam is a captivating heroine. Told entirely from her point of view in a series of letters she writes to her mysterious benefactor, the fictitious Mr. Knightley. This is a fascinating study into the psyche of a young woman abused and neglected in her youth. The author slowly peels away all the protective layers Sam has buried herself in. I could relate to Sam's coping mechanism -- retreating into the world of books. She immerses herself in the world of favourite characters to the point where she becomes a cardboard copy of them. Dear Mr. Knightley is the story of her journey towards self-discovery. It's touching and funny and heart-breaking and, ultimately, the grandest of love stories.