Day: August 3, 2020

Posted in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contemporary Fiction, Family Drama, Friendship, Romance, Romantic Comedy

The Saturday Morning Park Run Jules Wake 5* Review @Juleswake @0neMoreChapter_ @rararesources #romcom #heartwarming #Family #Friendship #Multigenerational #Community #Preorder #29August #MondayBlogs #MondayMotivation

Posted on by jolliffe01

This is the story of two women.
One old, one young.
One looking for new adventures. One looking for a purpose.
Both needing a friend.

And this is how, along with two little girls in need of a family, a gorgeous stranger, and a scruffy dog, they bring the whole community together every Saturday morning for love, laughter and a little bit of running…(well, power walking).

Some people come into your life when you need them the most.

#PreOrder

Amazon UK Amazon

I received a copy of this book from One More Chapter and the Author in return for an honest review.

My Thoughts…

There’s something for everyone in this heartwarming story of ordinary people looking for friendship, love and purpose without even realising its missing from their lives. Clare and Ash meet or more accurately collide by chance. There’s chemistry amidst the anger and the pride, but where will it lead?

Clare is career-focused. A possible partnership keeps her single-minded. She fails to notice her failing health and the problems in her sister’s life until they unexpectedly make a change in her life inevitable.

Hilda is lonely but wants to bring the community together. When the three unlikely friends meet everything starts to come together in the form of a Saturday morning park run.

This original story has a motivational ethos with believably flawed and relatable characters. The group dynamics are authentic and insightful. This is an emotional story that takes the reader on a journey. Fun, friendship, poignant moments and self-realisation are all explored through the characters with a satisfying life-affirming conclusion.

Jules Wake

Jules Wake announced at the age of ten that she planned to be a writer. Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands and not so luxury brands. This proved fabulous training for writing novels as it provided her with the opportunity to hone her writing and creative skills penning copy on a vast range of subjects from pig farming and watches, sunglasses and skincare through to beer and stationery. 

She writes best-selling warm-hearted contemporary fiction for One More Chapter as Jules Wake and under her pen name Julie Caplin, she writes the Romantic Escapes series. 

Between them, the two Js have written fourteen novels, The Saturday Morning Park Run being the latest.

Twitter Facebook Instagram

Posted in Audiobook Review, Blog Blitz, Book Review, Family Drama, Historical Fiction

The Black Madonna of Derby Joanna Czechowska 5*#Review @JOCZECHOWSKA #AudiobookReview #BlogTour @AudibleUK #TheBlackMadonnaofDerby #MondayBlogs #MondayThoughts @rararesources

Posted on by jolliffe01

During and after the Second World War, 200,000 Poles were given leave to remain in the UK as thanks for their help during the conflict – this book is a fictional account of just one of those families. Set during the 1960s and 1970s, The Black Madonna of Derby traces the story of the Baran family living in a provincial town in England. Their seemingly ordinary existence hides secrets of past betrayal, madness, and tragedy.

The story focuses on three generations: the elderly grandmother whose proud Polish patriotism hides dark events from the past that affect the present, the mother whose tries to meld her past life in war-torn Poland and Germany with her new life in England and the granddaughter who lives a double life culturally and linguistically – Polish at home and English outside.

The swinging sixties in London is vividly recreated, as is the hardship of life under communism in the Poland of that time. This book is unique in that there are no other novels dealing with the story of second generation Poles in the UK. It is a story that deserves to be told, a story of a group of people who have had little attention in the literature. Listen to what they have to say.

Audible UK Audible

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author in return for an honest review.

My Thoughts…

This is a fascinating story about a Polish family living in Derby during the 196os and 1970s. The family came to England after WW2. Behind the facade of an ordinary family hides the horrors they’ve faced, their secrets and tragedies. It’s an extraordinary story.

The characters are authentic and relatable. The story draws the reader into the characters’ lives, and you care what happens to them. The insights into the 1960s and 1970s in England and Poland are interesting and vividly portrayed.

The clear professional narration brings the story to life.

Joanna Czechowska

The daughter of a Polish father and English mother, Joanna Czechowska was born in Derby and studied history at University College London. She now works as a journalist. The Black Madonna of Derby, published in Polish under the title Goodbye Polsko, is her first novel.

Giveaway to Win 5 x PB copies of The Black Madonna of Derby (UK Only)

Click on link to enter giveaway

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Giveaway link above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for the fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.