Natalie Meg Evans’ Into the Burning Dawn, reviewed by Jill Barry

This sweeping novel is a step away from the world of Parisian haute couture for Natalie Meg Evans, whose books often feature heroines involved in fashion. A successful author of historical fiction, Evans mixes intricate details of a family business with an absorbing plot.  If you enjoy plenty of conflict in a love story, this novel will delight you. Set in Italy, descriptions of the sparkling sea, the scent of ripening lemons and the undercurrent of wartime passions all combine to make this World War Two romance an absorbing read. Heroine Imogen, faced with tough choices, is forced to decide which path to take. And her personal safety and determination to remain in her job are doubly important as she seeks to provide love and stability for the children in her charge.

Judith Barrow’s The Heart Stone, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

It is 1914 and war is declared. Childhood friends, Jessie and Arthur, declare their love for each other on the day he set to join the army and consummate the relationship. Jessie falls pregnant and her life becomes a series of trials and conflict, but she fights and fights. She is a well-drawn character with a distinct voice during a time when women did not have a voice. The enthralling narrative is fraught with conflict and heartbreak, but there are powerful moments of kindness and tenderness. Thank goodness for the warmth of the maternal role models in Jessie’s life – what an inspiration! This love story remained with me long after I had turned the first page.

I adore all of Judith Barrow’s novels as her writing breathes life into history through her characters; she is not afraid to deal with hardship and horrible people.

Sophie Nicholls’ The Dress, reviewed by Angela Petch

I’d listened to Sophie Nicholls talking about writing. Lines from The Dress were discussed and caught my attention: “The best words are chosen. They choose themselves while working on the garment… Let the words find you.”  In this novel, Fabia is a dressmaker, a salvager of vintage clothes, who sews mindful words into seams and hems of garments she creates. A heading for a different item kicks off each chapter.

This is “the story of Mamma and me,” her daughter Ella tells us and “a story that belongs to all of us, if it belongs to anyone.”

Mother and daughter (who have a particular gift of sixth sense) are continually on the move to city to escape the mother’s secret. But Ella, at fifteen, wants to settle and has made friends: Billy and Katrina. Nicholls is good at teenagers; I loved these cameos.

I would award 5 stars for the dreamy, magical prose but have to subtract half because of a guessable twist.

Lucy Diamond’s Something to Tell You, reviewed by Carol Thomas

Something to Tell You is a light, family-based read that tells the Mortimer family’s story as they come to terms with secrets that threaten their stability. It is a book of two halves. The earlier chapters include an attention-grabbing hook, while the later chapters, with their slower pace and happy resolutions, lead the reader by the hand to the story’s conclusion.

There were many characters to keep track of, each with their own issues, so the book required focus. The majority of the characters were likeable and optimistic. The author touched on some harder-hitting issues in their pasts but not in great depth. Because of that, it remained an easy-going read (as I had hoped). The resolutions felt a little easily won, but as I was looking for a book with little angst, it didn’t detract from the reading pleasure.