The Summer Guest by Emma Hannigan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
'Lexi and her husband Sam have put their heart and soul into renovating No. 3 Cashel Square. Lexi's mother thinks it's high time they had a baby, but Lexi's thriving art gallery keeps her more than busy. Plus her headstrong niece Amelie seems to have practically moved in. And then, just as summer arrives, a mysterious stranger knocks on the door. Kathleen Williams has come from America, longing to see the house in Cashel Square where she was born, over sixty years ago. Kathleen's visit is tinged with sadness but she finds comfort and laughter with Lexie and Amelie. Soon the three women are sharing their hearts, tears and secrets, little knowing their unexpected friendship will touch them all in more ways than they can imagine..'
What a beautiful cover this is! It is brilliantly summery and makes you want to sit and sip a lovely long drink in the garden.
This book has wonderful descriptions of the home, family and life. You can immerse yourself in the descriptions and almost see yourself there in the book with the characters.
The story is about Kathleen, an American who has returned to her home of Ireland after spending the majority of her years in the States. She returns to her home town and visits her old home from her childhood. There she meets Lexi and Sam who are the owners of the house now.
Lexi and Sam are a lovely couple, they have very successful careers and have a lovely home. They have recently renovated the basement and are looking to find a lodger soon. Kathleen turns up and they get on so well, Lexi and Sam offer her the basement for her stay while she is in Ireland.
Amelia is Lexi's niece and is having a hard time at home and being a teenager is never easy. Lexi and Amelia get on very well and she takes her under her wing. I particularly liked Amelia's voice in the book and thought this was a nice alternative to the other characters in the story. I do think though towards the end Amelia's voice was lost a bit and this was a shame.
I think this book is very middle aged, it covers topics for women who are middle aged and the topics could be very real, this maybe why I felt I couldn't connect so well to this book as others Hannigan has written.
The story is very enjoyable, however I don't think an awful lot happens in it and I was waiting for something major to happen which didn't. It is a lovely story - very nice and nice is the only word I can describe it as, nothing makes it go pop and there is little excitement in it. It is quite a slow paced novel, one you can pick up and put down after a period of time and still know what is going on.
I have read a few books by Emma Hannigan now and unfortunately this has been my least favourite.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me this in exchange for a honest review.
Perfect Wives by Emma Hannigan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
'When actress Jodi Ludlum returns to the Dublin village of Bakers Valley to raise her young son, she's determined to shield him from the media glare that follows her in LA. But coming home means leaving her husband behind - and waking old ghosts... Francine Hennessy was born and raised in Bakers Valley. To all appearances, she is the model wife, mother, home-maker and career woman. But, behind closed doors, Francine's life is crumbling around her. As Jodi struggles to conceal her secrets and Francine faces some shocking news, the two become unlikely confidants. Suddenly having the perfect life seems less important than finding friendship, and the perfect place to belong...'
I thought that this was a nice easy read with identifiable characters with mostly believable pasts, the kind of book you could take and enjoy on holiday as it was easy to follow and not heavy. It revolves around Jodi Ludlum an actress who returns to her roots in Ireland in a sleepy village called Bakers Valley to raise her son away from the glare of the media circus in LA. It does mean that she has to leave her husband who is also in the movie business and who travels a lot on location but we later learn theirs is not a conventional marriage in the true sense of the word.
While Jodi comes to terms with returning to her mother country and facing her own demons we meet Francine who having been born in Bakers Valley appears to have the perfect life and leads the life of a perfect wife. Scratch a little below the surface and we see that her life is crumbling around her and how she struggles to keep up the facade of the perfect life while her world unravels.
An unlikely friendship builds between the two women and both discover the importance of true friendship and what truly matters in life; Francine learns that there are all kinds of perfection and Jodi learns to confront her past. Their journey makes them face their fears and come out the other side stronger and better for their experiences.
I did think that while the pace was built well through the book it was somewhat spoiled with a hurried (and to me) unfinished ending, that said it has been left open for a sequel should Emma Hannigan want to continue a series about Jodi and Francine in the future. I also felt that Jodi's secret involving the character Mac was a bit lame and out of the two main characters Francine was more believable even though she was the secondary character.
It was an easy read and did have that feel good factor of building lasting friendships but I felt it lacked something, it didn't make me see it as a great read, no unusual twists, no unexpected curve balls which was a shame.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me this in exchange for a honest review.
Driving Home For Christmas by Emma Hannigan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
'Christmas at Huntersbrook House is a family tradition and this year it's even more important as, with mounting debts and insufficient income from the livery yard, it looks like the Craig family might have to sell their beloved family home.
Pippa, Joey and Lainey are the three grown up Craig children who, caught up with their own lives in Dublin, are, as yet, unaware of the problems facing Huntsersbrook.
Joey is starting to wonder if his controlling, fitness-mad girlfriend really is the one for him. Lainey, the family worrier, is doing her best to ignore her ex's recent engagement while also trying to look out for her sister Pippa whose frivolous lifestyle is about to catch up with her.
As the Christmas season approaches, the Craig family need to do some soul-searching and what better place than around the fire at Huntersbrook House.
One thing's for sure, this is a Christmas none of them will forget. But will it be their last at Huntersbrook or will they manage to save the family home?'
When I was sent driving home for Christmas, I was unsure of what to expect. I have never read a book by Emma Hannigan before and was not sure of her style of writing.
This story is based around the Craig family. The chapters are relatively short and each represent one of the members from the family. The story is in the run up to Christmas, where they normally spend it at Huntersbrook House as a whole family.
All the characters in the story are written very well, I had a connection with some and found it hard to relate to others. Pippa was my favourite character and actually reminded me slightly of Becky Bloomwood from the shopaholic series. She loves to spend money and is in a lot of debt. I do not think there was meant to be a connection between the two, this is something I just interpreted from reading her character.
I also loved Joey, I thought his character was written very well and loved his story. I felt sorry for him at times and then envious that he got to spend so much time at Huntersbrook House!
Lainey I found hard to connect with and I didn't find her story as interesting as the others in the family, saying this though the story would have not been right without her and it was important her character was included.
For me I found I had a personal connection to the book. When growing up I had a strong family unit and we would visit my grandparents in Cornwall where they had a large house. This bought back memories for me reading this book and I made links between my own family Christmas and the Craigs.
I would say that this book is Christmas wrapped up in a box, it is about family, connections and the love you have for your family. I would recommend this book to everyone for Christmas as its heart warming and makes you wish you were part of the Craig family sharing their family Christmas.
I would like to that Headline for sending me this review copy.
I have been lucky enough to have received a second copy of the wonderful tale 'Driving home for Christmas' because I have enjoyed it so much I am offering one lucky person the opportunity of winning a copy of it.
And as it is nearly Christmas and it is the season to be jolly - the giveaway is International :D enjoy!
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