Enni Amanda - Hidden Gem

Romance 

Feel-good Fiction

Just absolutely gorgeous

New Zealand location

I loved the character of Marnie when she was introduced in Enni Amanda's earlier novel, Nest or Invest (also fabulous), the next-door neighbour best friend.  

In Hidden Gem we see the flaws and all side of approaching forty, with an incurable illness, a stroppy teenage child and the gift of love, in the form of Jason, a bit of an insomniac.  Their story is believable, fun and very sweet.  

This second novel in Enni Amanda's Love New Zealand series is a sweet romance, with a bit of bedroom action, brilliantly told, against the backdrop of a housing crisis, in New Zealand (though this also happens elsewhere in the world).  

Hidden Gem is a seriously honest and delightful second-chance romance that you need to read, once you've read Nest or Invest (that improv scene will floor you!).  

I'm off to pop book 3, Night and Day, on pre-order. 

PS - how beautiful are the covers of this series, from Yummy Book Covers?! 

Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief

11+ (9+ if confident reader) 

Greek Mythology

Action, Humour

Relatable 

I bumped into Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief in a Year 8 class, about five years ago, and was hooked immediately.  Finally, my daughter was ready to read this at bedtime with me, and we spent most of last autumn and winter learning about Greek mythology while following Percy around Olympus (New York) and the Underworld (LA).  

Percy is a relatable 12 year old kid, who seems to be a magnet for trouble.  He is also the first book-based hero I've read who has dyslexia and ADHD.  Riordan's action-packed book has a healthy dose of humour throughout, so the serious events were navigated wonderfully, enabling this to be read at bedtime. Usually with our hefty Usborne Book of Greek Myths book nearby to find out more about the characters Percy meets. Great for KS2 prediction in literacy, as well as developing reading for pleasure; MiniDgtl does tend to sleep surrounded by books. 

We're now onto the second book in the series, which should see us through to spring. 

5/5   

Janice Horton - The Backpacking Housewife (book 1)

 Feel-good Fiction

Travel - Southeast Asia 

Could you imagine running away from the UK and finding yourself in Thailand, after your marriage breaks up, with only your passport and a backpack (hastily filled at the airport)?  

One mum is leaving it all behind for the adventure of a lifetime…

Lorraine Anderson was meant to be making a Sunday roast, not swanning off to Thailand, backpack in hand! But when she finds her husband and her best friend in bed together there’s only one thing to do – grab her passport and never look back!

Now, with each mile travelled Lori sheds the woman she once was and finds the woman she was always meant to be. A woman of passion and spirit who deserves to explore the great unknown…and to indulge in the temptation she encounters along the way!

I was hooked on this book, feeling every unsure first step that Lori took as she navigated her way around Thailand (north and south) and Malaysia.  Such wonderful descriptions, that I really want to return to southeast Asia, as soon as it's safe to do so! 

Can't wait to read the other books in this engrossing travel-based, feel-good fiction, series.