Into the Darkest Day by Kate Hewitt **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy weekend all!

I’ve been reading tons of uplifting feel good stories. So I knew I had to change gears a little bit because Kate Hewitt always hits me right in the heart and this book was no exception. A beautiful emotional story!

My Thoughts

Emotional and gripping. Kate Hewitt has once again hit me right in the heart with her evocative storytelling. London 1944 Lily meets charismatic American G.I. Mathew, at the same time that her sister meets another American G.I. Present day Wisconsin Abby is living a quiet life on her family’s apple farm navigating a difficult relationship with her father. When Simon an Englishman reaches out to her about a war metal that he wants to return to her as it belongs to her grandfather, Abby is confused and intrigued. When Abby and Simon meet up they find out that their families are somewhat entangled and have many secrets yet to be revealed. Two Beautiful stories woven together seamlessly.

Not going to lie I am very burned out on WWII stories, but when I saw that Kate Hewitt was the author of this one I couldn’t pass it up. She did a remarkable job of creating a sense of time and place throughout the story especially when it came to the WWII scenes. The tension was palpable in some of these wartime scenes, my heart was pounding and I seriously thought I could actually hear the bombs going off. I also learned about some aspects of the war that I had never heard about before. The present day story was equally compelling, I was very drawn to Abby. I found her so likable and sympathetic, I really wanted her to find some real happiness. Another emotional story from Kate Hewitt that touched my heart. One day one of your books will not make me shed some tears.

This book in emojis 🍎 🎖 🪂 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🍏

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***About the Book

She had to step outside and hold the paper up to the moonlight to read it, but when she was able to make out the words, her heart felt as if it would drop right out of her chest. Because the message was in German.

1944, London:
When Lily meets enigmatic GI Matthew in war-torn London, she doesn’t expect to fall in love. While her sister starts a reckless affair with another GI, Lily tries to hide her growing feelings for Matthew.

But Matthew has a devastating secret. One that could change their lives forever.

Present day, USA:
Abby lives a quiet life on an apple farm in Wisconsin. Tormented by survivor’s guilt after the tragic deaths of her mother and brother, Abby leaves the orchards as little as possible, keeping her life small, peaceful and safe… Until she is contacted by Englishman Simon Elliot, who arrives nursing a heartbreak of his own, and bearing a World War Two medal that he claims belonged to Abby’s grandfather.

Together they begin to piece together the heartbreaking story of their relatives’ war. But as the story brings Abby and Simon closer—tentatively beginning to lean on one another to heal—they uncover a dark secret from the past.

And like Lily and Matthew nearly eighty years before them, it will make Abby and Simon question whether you can ever truly trust someone, even when they have your heart…

A heartbreakingly powerful, epic love story about courage, friendship and broken trusts, Into the Darkest Day is an unforgettable story perfect for fans of Nora Roberts, Kristin Hannah and The Notebook.  

About the Author

Author Bio:

Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.  

https://www.kate-hewitt.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KateHewittAuthor/ 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1269244.Kate_Hewitt

https://twitter.com/katehewitt1  

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2YFDimH

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2zmZh7h

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3fs2qn1

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2W8DNnM

Just My Luck by Adele Parks @adeleparks @HQstories #AdeleParks #JustMyLuck #BookReview

Hello book friends, I hope that you are all doing well?

I’m so happy to be on the blog tour for this book, I enjoyed reading it so much, and it really made me think about what I would do in the same situation!

 

Review

This story is about friends, 3 groups of friends in this case, they have been best friends since the wives met at Antenatal/Parenting classes, and they have been in each others lives ever since, 15 years to be precise. In fact, all of their children are also best friends, and 2 of them are actually dating!

Every week they have a dinner party, some are nice and posh, other times a takeaway, but they swap houses every week, and each week they talk and dream about what they would do if they ever won the lottery.

The 3 couples are in a Syndicate, and each week Lexi collects the money from Jennifer, Fred, Carla and Patrick, but one night there is an argument between them all, while having the usual Saturday dinner night, things get said, and tensions are high, so much so that words are exchanged and Fred, Jennifer, Carla and Patrick pull out of the syndicate and go home.

Jake and Lexi are naturally upset that they have fallen out with their best friends, but carry on with life as usual, Lexi works at the local Citizens Advice and helps lots of underprivileged people with things like debt management, housing, immigration, and landlord-tenant disputes.

As Saturday rolls around as usual, Lexi comes home to a very excited husband, their lottery numbers have come up!!
After a couple of calls to the National Lottery, it is confirmed that they are winners, and they have won £17.8 Million!!!!

Jake has dollar signs in his eyes, listing what he is going to spend the money on, mostly fast cars and expensive holidays, while Lexi is just trying to come to terms with the windfall.

There is just one problem, Jennifer, Fred, Carla and Patrick want a cut of the money!

There are also a few other stories woven into this one very cleverly, and what started out as a compelling read to find out what Lexi’s family was going to do, actually turned into a very suspenseful, gripping read, a few times I shouted NOOOOOO while I was reading it.

This is a fantastic read, and I flew through the book and nearly read it in one sitting, I would thoroughly recommend it.

**Thank you to HQ Stories and the Author for sending me a copy of this book**

Enjoy
Vicci 📚💛✨

Synopsis

It’s the stuff dreams are made of – a lottery win so big, it changes everything.

For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner.

But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.

Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it.

Purchase Links

As previously mentioned before, I am trying to help out as many independent book shops as I can in this current climate.

Bert’s Books

Book-ish

Waterstones

Amazon Affiliate Link