Come Full Circle by Sherryl Caulfield ~ Review & Giveaway

Title: Come Full Circle
Author: Sherryl Caulfield
Series: Iceberg Trilogy #3
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Multi-Generational Fiction
Publication Date: 11th December 2015
Pages: 384
Book Source: from author

Synopsis: In 1995, in remote British Columbia, a mysterious woman begins letting go of the only person central to her life for eighteen years. On the other side of the continent, Rebecca, her ninety-six year old mother, remembers secrets hidden from her family for decades. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, in Sydney Australia, Rebecca’s granddaughter, on the eve of her thirty-third birthday, realises she is still haunted by events that happened during her teenage years. Eluded by happiness following a string of disastrous relationships, Lindsay dives into a quest to understand herself and discover the missing pieces of her life.

This moving tale of joy and sorrow completes the journey – nearly a century later – of much loved characters first introduced in Seldom Come By.

My Thoughts:

In one word ... breathtaking! 

But when have I ever left things at one word. How can I ... such an epic journey deserves more.  

So much I want to say but so much I can't. Come Full Circle should be your own experience to best appreciate it in all its beauty, that anticipation of not knowing what's in store but knowing it will be good. Just know there will come a point when you won't be able to turn the pages fast enough. And then you won't want it to end.

Layers are peeled back, pieces of the puzzle slowly come together, it may not be the picture you thought it would be or the picture you want but then again it could be even better. (cryptic enough for you lol)

Come Full Circle is a complete sensory treat ...  exquisite descriptions, Sherryl's love for the natural world pulls you in, wraps arms around you, surrounding, immersing. I loved that almost as much as revisiting the characters I've come to know and love. 

I loved the falconry aspect, and the haunting beauty of Lindsay and Ryan's night encounter with the whale raised the hair on my arms and made me teary, then whale penises and lice were mentioned and I dissolved in a fit of giggles. (and yes I googled)

Resilience, love and healing ... I think Rebecca's words sum up Come What May better than I can.


'And what else have I learned of life from the sage old age of one hundred. That it's still mysterious, mostly it is joyful and abundant, sadness fades, attitude is everything, as is forgiveness." 

Tears, smiles, sighs ... thank you for the most glorious ride Sherryl Caulfield. My heart is happy :)

See my reviews for the first two books
Seldom Come By
Come What May

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Happy Release Day for Come Full Circle. 

GIVEAWAY:
I'm very excited to offer readers of my blog the chance to win an eBook copy of Come Full Circle.  

Just leave a comment to enter and ensure you're easily contactable. International Giveaway ends 19th December. 
Winner will be drawn via random.org and announced on my blog. 

EXTRA ENTRIES: 

+2 like Sherryl's Facebook Page and let me know

+2 tweet giveaway and leave a link

AND

To celebrate the launch of Come Full Circle, Sherryl is giving away a Come Full Circle Iceberg Pack. Click on the image or visit Sherryl on Facebook to enter

This includes:

1 autographed paperback.

1 ebook (so you can read on the go or share with a friend).

A $30 iTunes voucher so you can download some of the wonderful Canadian songs that were part of my writing experience.

Plus a bottle of Vodka made from the Greenland icebergs that flow down the coast of Newfoundland. Total value approximately $150.

"Imagine sitting on Rebecca’s verandah in Newfoundland, scanning the horizon for icebergs, reading Come Full Circle, listening to Jane Siberry and sipping vodka. Hopefully this prize pack comes close."

Audiobook Review: Outback Midwife by Beth McRae

Title: Outback Midwife
Author: Beth McRae
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
Publication Date: 13th July 2015
Narrator: Caroline Lee
Time: 9hrs 2mins
Book Source: Library borrow (Borrowbox)

Synopsis: Call the Midwife meets In the Middle of Nowhere in this heartwarming memoir of an adventurous Aussie midwife's life 'catching babies'.

Outback Midwife is the story of Beth McRae's 40 years as a midwife, from her terrifying first day witnessing a birth as a naïve student nurse to her training as a midwife – the days when the words ‘birth plan' were unheard of and what women wanted was a long way from being part of any plan - to the outback.

Beth's career of catching babies takes her from the city to the bush, bonding with people from all walks of life at one of the most important moments in their lives. But there was one more frontier she was determined to conquer.

At a time when most people are thinking about slowing down, Beth decides to move to a remote Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land to embark on a whole other adventure.

My Thoughts: 

I loved Outback Midwife. As a former nurse I'm drawn to nursing and midwifery stories, and not only is Beth's memoir an entertaining read with humorous and heartbreaking anecdotes but with 40 years experience as a midwife, it's like getting the history of midwifery in Australia without the dry history lesson. 

Beth's nursing training, the slow changes to prenatal care, birth and neonatal practices over the years made me both giggle and cringe in acknowledgement. I also identified with the tragic loss of her baby daughter at 26 weeks, it echoed how little had changed when my own baby died. 

I loved reading about her time in remote aboriginal communities, especially Beth's last posting to Maningrida in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. We lived in Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory for 5 years and briefly visited Maningrida so Beth's time there brought back memories ... 

The cultural differences, respect for ancestors and aboriginal family structures, friendships formed out of acceptance and respect. Beth was accepted by the community, included in "women's business" and learnt as much as she taught. 

Remote area nurses provide life-altering and often life-saving care in isolated and challenging conditions, their experience is invaluable but you can feel reading this that Beth feels the privilege is all hers, she is passionate, candid and humble. 

Beth completed her contract in Maningrida in June 2015, returned home to Wodonga planning to spend time with family and enjoy her grandchildren and she is now looking for her next adventure. 

Caroline Lee is a one of my favourite narrators ... brilliant in The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty and The Lake House by Kate Morton. And her narration in Outback Midwife is just as compelling. 

Thoroughly recommend this one

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Review: The Lake House by Kate Morton

Title: The Lake House
Author: Kate Morton
Genre: Historical/Contemporary Fiction
Publication Date: 20th October 2015
Pages: 512
Book Source: Atria Books & Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Synopsis: Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…
One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined.

Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone…yet more present than ever.

My Thoughts:

Lake house ...

Cornwall ... 

Sold!

I loved the old-world almost dreamy feel to The Lake House ... I lost myself in another time and place. 

The Lake House is a multi-layered story of love, loyalty, loss and long-held secrets. Three strong women; Eleanor, Alice and Sadie, multiple time frames, plots and sub-plots. There's a lot going on. 

In 1933 we're introduced to the Edevane family of Leoanneth, the Lake House ... Alice, Deborah, Clemmie, Theo and parents Eleanor and Anthony. On a midsummer's eve, 11 month old Theo disappears. 

In the present day Sadie Sparrow, (cringe on the name) a London detective on disciplinary leave, visiting her grandfather in Cornwall, stumbles upon the abandoned lake house, her curiosity reviving the 70 year old cold case of missing baby Theo.

The story shifts to London, 1911, filling in Eleanor's back story. Past, present, back and forth with Kate Morton deftly peeling back the layers while I literally held my breath in anticipation.

I worked out what happened to baby Theo early on, I didn't waver, even though there were multiple threads leading in different directions, but just as I was patting myself on the back for being so clever, Kate Morton put me in my place. I loved the ending, I didn't see that particular gem coming. There were tears, happy tears.  

Kate Morton's skill with family ties, secrets and the slow reveal is masterful, even the quieter, drawn out parts of the narrative have purpose. The whisper fine threads came together beautifully and the resulting picture was bittersweet. 

Cover: beautiful

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Twitter Hashtag: #TheLakeHouseBlogTour

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Review: The Saddler Boys by Fiona Palmer

Title: The Saddler Boys
Author: Fiona Palmer
Genre: Rural Romance
Publication Date: 23rd September 2015
Pages: 371
Book Source: Penguin Books Australia

Synopsis: Schoolteacher Natalie has always been a city girl. She has a handsome boyfriend and a family who give her only the best. But she craves her own space, and her own classroom, before settling down into the life she is expected to lead.

When Nat takes up a posting at a tiny school in remote Western Australia, it proves quite the culture shock, but she is soon welcomed by the swarm of inquisitive locals, particularly young student Billy and his intriguing single father, Drew. 

As Nat's school comes under threat of closure, and Billy's estranged mother turns up out of the blue, Nat finds herself fighting for the township and battling with her heart. Torn between her life in Perth and the new community that needs her, Nat must risk losing it all to find out what she's really made of – and where she truly belongs. 

My Thoughts: 

My first time reading Fiona Palmer, surprising, since I'm actually familiar with a few of her titles. Anyway, not only was this a delightful rural romance with wonderfully endearing characters, The Saddler Boys has substance, highlighting topical issues of domestic violence, single parenting, rural school closures and small town viability.  

Set in the actual town of Lake Biddy in Western Australia, 22 year old Nat leaves her family and boyfriend Greg in Perth to take up her first teacher's posting at the small country school. While unfamiliar with remote rural life, she's enthusiastic, genuine about embracing the experience and she's warmly welcomed by the locals ...  

None more so than 8 year old student Billy who blossoms under Nat's instruction and compassionate nature. My heart melted at the first mention of little Billy and when we learn of his Nana's death from metastatic melanoma, I was undone. My boys had a beautiful bond with their Nana who died from Melanoma 7 years ago. 

Palmer's passion for the rural landscape is vivid on the page, farming, shearing, seeding, P&C fundraisers, the genuine sense of community, neighbourly generosity and compassion. I loved that almost as much as I loved the bond developing between Nat and the Saddler boys, Billy and hardworking single dad, Drew. The Saddler boys, big and little won my heart!

Family, friendship, love and community with a thoroughly authentic Australian flavour. 

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Review: The Secret Years by Barbara Hannay

Title: The Secret Years
Author: Barbara Hannay
Genre: Historical/Contemporary Fiction
Publication Date: 26th August 2015
Pages: 384
Book Source: Penguin Australia

Synopsis: When Lucy Hunter stumbles upon her grandfather Harry's World War II memorabilia, she finds a faded photograph of a stunning young woman known simply as 'George' and a series of heartfelt letters. They are clues about the secret years, a period of Lucy's family history that has been kept a mystery . . . until now.

How did a cattleman from north Queensland find forbidden love with the Honourable Georgina Lenton of London and persuade her to move to his isolated outback property? And why are the effects of this encounter still reverberating in the lives of Lucy and her mother, Rose, now?

As the passions of the past trickle down the years, three generations of one family pull together. Each must learn in their own way how true love can conquer the greatest challenges of all.

From the wild beauty of the Australian bush to England's rugged south coast, this is a deeply moving story of heartbreak, heroism and homecoming by a beloved, multi-award-winning author.

My Thoughts: 

This was my first Barbara Hannay read. What rock have I been living under?? ... I have no idea why Hannay hasn't come to my attention before now but I've been missing out.

The Secret Years is a multi-generational story blending contemporary and historical narratives into an utterly captivating read.

It's a story where the past bleeds into the present, the effect of long held secrets rippling through generations. 

Lucy returns home to Australia from a 6 month deployment in Afghanistan. Her mother and beloved grandfather Harry's reticence in talking about the past, then her discovery of a tin of her grandfather's wartime memorabilia, impetus for heading to Cornwall, England to unravel the secrets of her family's history.    

Harry and George's (Georgina) story (the historical narrative) was my favourite, it's tender and brave and the war added tension and urgency to their romance. But, I was surprised to enjoy Lucy and 'cousin' Nick's story almost as much. Lucy's search for answers is integral in pulling all the pieces of the story together. 

The Secret Years has a wonderful sense of place, whether it was the harsh beauty and isolation of the Australian bush, London during the Blitz, the dramatic beauty of the Cornish coastline or the lush beauty, humidity and danger of Rabaul, New Guinea during the Japanese invasion, I was transported effortlessly and completely immersed. 

The Secret Years is an evocative story of great love, loss and secrets. Family history gives us a strong sense of identity so the story is also a journey of self discovery. Hannay breathes life and love into the pages. 

One of the benefits of discovering an author late is an extensive backlist to devour :)

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Review: The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth

Title: The Beast's Garden
Author: Kate Forsyth
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 3rd August 2015
Pages: 512
Book Source:  Author, Random House AU & NetGalley

Synopsis: It's August 1939 in Germany, and Ava's world is in turmoil. To save her father, she must marry a young Nazi officer, Leo von Löwenstein, who works for Hitler's spy chief in Berlin. However, she hates and fears the brutal Nazi regime, and finds herself compelled to stand against it.

Ava joins an underground resistance movement that seeks to help victims survive the horrors of the German war machine. But she must live a double life, hiding her true feelings from her husband, even as she falls in love with him. 

Gradually she comes to realise that Leo is part of a dangerous conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. As Berlin is bombed into ruins, the Gestapo ruthlessly hunt down all resistance and Ava finds herself living hand-to-mouth in the rubble of the shell-shocked city. Both her life and Leo's hang in the balance. 

Filled with danger, intrigue and romance, The Beast's Garden, a retelling of the Grimm brothers' 'Beauty and The Beast', is a beautiful, compelling love story set in a time when the world seemed on the brink of collapse.

My Thoughts: 

Kate Forsyth is one of my 'keeper' authors, a favourite author whose storytelling is a rare gift. Bitter Greens and The Wild Girl will always have my heart but The Beast's Garden was another beautiful addition to her repertoire. 

The Beast's Garden is a retelling of The Singing, Springing Lark, a Grimm Brothers' variant of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I love fairy tales, and I adore retellings ... they keep our love of fairy tales alive for generations to come, inspiring us to share both the traditional and re-imagined with our children and grandchildren. 

The Beast's Garden had a slightly different feel to previous works, the historical story line extensively researched, as always, but the fairytale re-imagining, more subtle, delicately woven.

The main characters and their families are fictional but the rest of the cast are actual historical figures. 

The story opens on Kristallnacht, the Night of the Broken Glass and young German woman Ava Falkenhorst races to aid close family friends, the Feidels. Ava encounters Leo von Löwenstein, an officer in the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service and their story begins ...

Kate is very respectful of the history; the terrible atrocities committed against the Jewish population and I really appreciated the fresh perspective and focus on the many Germans who were part of the resistance, actively working to bring down Hitler and the Nazi regime. Admiral Canaris, chief of the Abwehr and Harro and Libertas Schulze-Boysen of the Red Orchestra resistance group, to name just a few. 

This tale of love, courage and resistance was everything I expected ... and more.

Wonderful blog post from Kate ... insight into the birth of The Beast's Garden.

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Heart of the Country by Tricia Stringer ~ Review & Giveaway

Title: Heart of the Country
Author: Tricia Stringer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 1st May 2015
Pages: 512
Book Source: Harlequin Mira

Synopsis: Heart of the Country is the first book in an epic historical saga of three Australian families. Spanning several generations, this epic tells the story of the Baker, Smith and Wiltshire families forging their paths in a land both beautiful and unforgiving.

Lives are intertwined by love and community then ripped apart by hate and greed but remain always bound to the land they love…

1846. Newly arrived from England, Thomas Baker is young, penniless and alone. Eager to make his mark on this strange new place called South Australia, he accepts work as an overseer on a distant sheep property, believing this will be the opportunity he seeks. But when Thomas’s path crosses that of ex-convict, Septimus Wiltshire — a grasping con man hell bent on making a new life for himself and his family at any price — trouble is on the horizon.

But Thomas is made of stern stuff and his fortunes take a turn for the better when he meets spirited farmer’s daughter Lizzie Smith, and soon he envisages their future together.

But this land is like no other he has encountered: both harsh and lovely, it breaks all but the strongest. When his nemesis intervenes once more and drought comes, Thomas finds himself tested almost beyond endurance with the risk of losing everything he and Lizzie have worked for… even their lives.

My Thoughts:

My first time reading Australian author Tricia Stringer and Heart of the Country appears to be her first foray into adult historical fiction. Historical fiction being one of my favourite genres to read and me being a self-confessed-fussy-cow I gotta say, Tricia Stringer nails it!

Heart of the Country is set in the mid 1800's during pastoral settlement of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. We follow young Thomas Baker as he strikes out for 'Penakie' and a new life. 

There's a wide cast of characters to love and loathe but I particularly adored Thomas and Lizzie, Gulda and Daisy and Lizzie's brothers Zac and Jacob. I laughed and cried along with them as life and the land dished out joys and hardships. I giggled at Thomas's embarrassment getting a boil lanced on his backside, sighed at the sheer vastness and beauty of our country and wished a 'bad' end on a few vile characters HA. 

Stringer captures the wild beauty and ruggedness of our country, the harsh conditions and isolation, the scorching heat, drought that brings the country to its knees, the loss of livestock, the very human toll but also the camaraderie between (most) properties despite the distance. I loved the respect shown to the culture of original land owners but I also appreciated that Stringer didn't gloss over the often negative and shameful encounters between white settlers and indigenous Australians.  

Heart of the Country is authentic, vibrant and colourful, full of tension, and tender moments. 500 pages flew by. No hardship reading this one ... I loved it!

I loved that Heart of the Country had a satisfying ending, no cliffhanger to torture me for a year and I can't wait to see what awaits the next generation. 

Maybe a little Tricia Stringer rural romance while I wait for the 2nd installment?

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Giveaway: 

I'm excited ... up for grabs 3 copies of Heart of the Country for readers of my blog. Just leave a comment telling me how Heart of the Country calls out to you? 

2 x print copies - Australia

1 x eBook copy - international (Amazon gift)

Extra Entries: 

+ 2 tweet giveaway and leave a link

Giveaway ends 2nd August and winner will be announced on my blog. Good luck everyone!

Review: Six Degrees by Honey Brown

Title: Six Degrees: The Power of Attraction Connects Us All 
Author: Honey Brown
Genre: Romance 
Publication Date: 1st August 2015
Pages: 269
Book Source: Jane Curry Publishing

Synopsis: Emotion, seduction and passion wind through six intricately connected stories, where strong Australian women embrace their most intimate desires, and the men are more than just their suit and tie. 

Apparent strangers are bound together by one tragic event, the effect of which is felt from the urban streets of Sydney to the dusty bars of Western Australia.

My Thoughts: 

I've had a love affair with Honey Brown or should I say her writing, since Dark Horse blew my mind and Through the Cracks had me tasting despair. They're darkly disturbing psychological thrillers. Six Degrees is a complete departure from her previous works but with the same expressive yet restrained style that grabs and keeps the pages turning. 

Knowing from the synopsis that the six stories are somehow connected, I was curious reading each whether the connection would come across as forced or convenient. No and No. It's clever and smooth and brings a cohesiveness to what would otherwise be random short stories about desire. 

My favourites were the first story and the third. The first was HOT and just a bit naughty and that's all I'm saying about it and the third, well it's the fly fishing story. Yep you read that right. 

Fishing in my book (when you don't catch anything) is up there with watching grass grow or paint dry. Fly fishing and sexy are two words I would never use in the same sentence. But Tasha and Daryl's story is beautiful and sexy and very, very sensual. So, hang on a minute while I eat my words.

This is probably completely left field but the sexual attraction in Six Degrees reminded me of the weather in Dark Horse ... a character in itself. 

Six Degrees is a fun and very satisfying read about the power of sexual attraction and our intrinsic need to feel emotionally and physically connected. 

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