The Beach At Summerly.

 

 

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 CONTAINS SPOILERS

June 1946. As the residents of Winthrop Island prepare for the first summer season after the sacrifice of war, a glamorous new figure moves into the guest cottage at Summerly, the idyllic seaside estate of the wealthy Peabody family. To Emilia Winthrop, daughter of Summerly’s year-round caretaker and a descendant of the island’s settlers, Olive Rainsford opens a window into a world of shining possibility. While Emilia spent the war years caring for her incapacitated mother, Olive traveled the world, married fascinating men, and involved herself in political causes. She’s also the beloved aunt of the two surviving Peabody sons, Amory and Shep, with whom Emilia has a tangled romantic history. 

As the summer wears on, Emilia develops a deep rapport with Olive, who urges her to leave the island for a life of adventure, while romance blossoms with the sturdy and honorable Shep. But the heady promise of Peabody patronage is blown apart by the arrival of Sumner Fox, an FBI agent who demands Emilia’s help to capture a Soviet agent who’s transmitting vital intelligence on the West’s atomic weapon program from somewhere inside the Summerly estate. 

April 1954. Eight years later, Summerly is boarded up and Emilia has rebuilt her shattered life as a professor at Wellesley College, when shocking news arrives from Washington—the traitor she helped convict is about to be swapped for an American spy imprisoned in the Soviet Union, but with a mysterious condition only Emilia can fulfill. A reluctant Emilia is summoned to CIA headquarters, where she’s forced to confront the harrowing consequences of her actions that fateful summer, and a choice that could destroy the Peabody family—and Emilia’s chance for redemption—all over again. 

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 Was there a book that you couldn’t get out of your mind? I should expect it, considering I have read several Beatriz Williams books. However, The Beach at Summerly was one of her best. Within a few first pages, I couldn’t get the story and the characters out of my mind. I’m trying to find words to describe all my feelings through this book. I felt Emilia’s grief, betrayal, love, and anger. It was as if I was living through Emilia’s thoughts. I could picture everything vividly, imagining going along the journey with Emilia. I was intrigued by how the book started and couldn’t help but wonder: ‘What happened?’ Going back and forth between 1946 and 1954, the timeline was told perfectly. I enjoyed reading about both timelines, but I loved reading Emilia’s story from 1946. I love the friendship and the bond that Emilia and Olive had and how Olive wanted to take care of Emilia as if she were her daughter. I can’t imagine finding out that the person you cared so much about was not who you assumed they were. 

I wondered what Emilia would find out the truth about Olive. Would she help turn her in how she was asked to? I do believe that Emilia believed that she was forced to do this; she didn’t want to betray her friend. I wondered if she would go through with the plan or would change her mind. In the 1954 storyline, Olive wanted to talk to Emilia, and as a reader, I couldn’t help but be curious about what it could be. I can’t imagine that Olive had good feelings about Emilia, knowing that she was the one who got her put in jail. The Beach At Summerly is full of action, and I couldn’t get enough of this story. I had this book on hold at the library for some time, and it was worth it. There is a reason that Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. 

I highly recommend it. Be prepared for a thrilling ride!

Such A Good Liar

 

 

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  *Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

She's faking her way into the most exclusive social circles for revenge. But how long can her lies hold up? Seventeen-year-old Lydia Cornwallis has arrived on an exclusive Caribbean island populated only by the ultra-rich and their staff. The Harrington sisters rule the island, throwing lavish parties and treating everyone around them like toys for their amusement, and Lydia simply can't wait to meet them. Because she's not Lydia Cornwallis. And the Harringtons have hell to pay for what they've done. 

When a storm hits the island and all routes to the mainland are cut off, Lydia is given the perfect opportunity to exact her murderous revenge. With time running out and her identity about to be exposed, Lydia will need to draw on epic nerve, quicksilver adaptability, and sly cunning to carry out her deadly plans. 

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I was excited about this book; it sounded like the type I love reading. I enjoyed Such A Good Liar , but not as much as I thought I would when I came across the book. Most of the story kept my attention, and there were parts of the book where you wondered what would happen next. I wondered what sort of revenge Shannon would come up with. I wondered if Shannon would go through with a vengeance; I knew she wanted to for her mother, but she didn’t seem the type to me. Most of all, I was sure somebody would figure out that she wasn’t Lydia at some point. I wondered who would be the first to put two and two together. Some parts of the story kept you on the edge of your seat, craving more. 

Throughout the book, I was waiting for that revenge, but the ending wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was unexpected. I feel like there should been more than there was; it didn’t feel complete to me. There were a few parts in the book where I had difficulty putting down the book because I wanted to see what would happen next. What would happen when it is discovered that she wasn’t Lydia? Would she be able to complete her mission before that happened? Some parts of the book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me on turning the pages. Such A Good Liar is a book worth giving a chance to, and I’m glad I got a chance to read it.

Sisters Under Rising Sun.

 

 

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  *Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

In the midst of World War II, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe from the Japanese army as they move down through the Pacific. Norah remains to care for her husband and elderly parents, knowing she may never see her child again. 

Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Singapore falls to the Japanese she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke lies broken on the seabed. 

After surviving a brutal 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured by the Japanese and held in one of their notorious POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side every day, helping whoever they can, and discovering in themselves and each other extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness and determination. 

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Another incredible, heartbreaking novel. 

How do I begin? Sisters Under Rising Sun is not the first book that I read by Heather Morris ; I should know that I would fall in love again. I have read most of Heather Morris , and there wasn't one I could get out of my head. I am not going to forget this one. I was excited when I found out Morris was writing a new book, and even happier when I came across ARC on NetGalley. I had to request it; I couldn't give up a chance to read it ahead of time. Heather Morris writes emotional books, but the World War is a challenging subject to write about. World War I/II is my favorite to read about in historical fiction. Reading historical fiction taught me a lot, and I thought I knew everything. I was wrong. Reading Sisters Under Rising Sun , I learned much more. I want to go back and re-read it to discover it all again. 

How can I even begin to describe the emotions in this book? There were so many of them. I finished reading the book this morning, yet I cannot get it out of my mind. Sisters Under Rising Sun is a story that should be read by everyone who loves historical fiction. This book is one of the reasons that I love historical fiction. I knew I would fall in love, but I didn't know how much it would affect me. Of all her books that I have read so far, this is my favorite so far. You can tell that this is the genre she is passionate about and how much research goes into her novels. I love the author's note towards the end of the story; it made the book much more accurate. There is much more I can say about her writing, but that would take me all day. 

There is so much that I can say about the characters. I don't have a favorite main character because I love them all. Norah, Sister Nesta James. Two brave women. After reading the book, I wondered how they had survived for as long as they did. Sisters Under Rising Sun is a story about war, friendship, bravery, survival, and hope. I loved that no matter what they had to endure or go through, they were always there for one another. Their friendship reminds me of a few of my closest friends, the ones I would do anything for. Highly recommended, be prepared for the ride of a lifetime.