Victoria Connelly

Okay, so I started and stopped, typed and backspaced so many times when I started writing this review, I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to be left with. I couldn't seem to (and still can't to some degree) quite express the level of beauty that is captured within this work. It truly takes us through the landscape of the heart with all its pitfalls, and passions, letting us be guided by the characters themselves as they attempt to find a level of balance in their lives once again.

My show more heart broke for Helen, Luke, and Orla, equally in turn. The first for the lack of life she'd have, the second for the heartbreak he experienced along with the what ifs, and the third for her tenuous connection to life that was lost, but also the horrors she still needed to face in her own life. There was so much hurt, so much pain, so much brokenness that one didn't quite know where to look to find some semblance of joy, some light of hope in these very dark times. They say that people come into our lives at exactly the moment they were meant to...no sooner, no later. Well a definite case can be made for that here because for as much sadness as there was to go around, these two broken souls were able to pull each other through to the other side of their great losses, and while they both still have a ways to go, steps forward are still a win toward discovering happiness once again.

So take a chance on this beautiful novel full of broken "things"...and I think you'll discover just how truly human those experiences that made the cracks, and created the chips, really are. show less

If I had to choose one word to describe this, it would be charming. Connelly does a fabulous job of contrasting the homey insular village in the middle of nowhere, Scotland with the pressures of Hollywood.

And I'm half-disappointed and half-relieved that Connelly did not include the cliched plotpoint of the press finding out just where the missing Hollywood actress had disappeared to and invading Lochnabrae.

This is a poignant, beautifully written story about a young widow coming to terms with the sudden death of her husband and trying to move on with her life. I'd expected it to be a bit trite and cheesy once I read the summary and saw `angels' were involved, but what I encountered instead was a fabulously written, charming story that really kept me turning the pages with a lovely plot and brilliantly written characters. It is by far one of the best chick lit books I have read in a show more while.

Claudie, a lover of MGM musicals and Gene Kelly is the main protagonist and fears that she is going mad the day she sees a miniature lady diving into her pencil pot at work, but she isn't: instead she has just met Jalisa, the leader of one of five little angels who have been sent to help Claudie in her time of need. The angels are by her side as Claudie encounters the different stages of grief, though much to her chagrin she is the only person who can see them.

Aside from the main characters in the book who include Claudie, her best friend Kristen and Kristen's other best friend Simon, the five little angels are just fabulously written, all with their own personalities and little quirks and foibles. I loved how each one had one particular characteristic which made them perfect to help Claudie - especially the quiet Mr Woo and bold, outspoken Jalisa. As far as I'm concerned, Connelly could write another book just about them!

This book which is set between Whitby, York and Paris, could have been twee or too overdone in the grief aspect but it manages to be a positive, insightful read about love, life and friendship with its funny and sad moments in equal measure and you do wonder what you would do if you were ever, god forbid, in Claudie's position.

My impression of this book after a while though was wondering if the author has ever actually been to Whitby, or at least spent very much time there. Some of the descriptions are quite generic and superficial and could have been taken from a guidebook and I didn't feel like it was a Whitby I really knew through its sights and smells, which was what I'd been hoping for. I am more than familiar with Whitby having grown up in the north. Simon as well- talk about the perfect, understanding man! I'm quite sure that blokes like him don't exist in real life- if he did then all women would be trying to snap him up!

These minor niggles aside (and it's genuinely only because I have a particular fondness for Whitby and how traditional it is that I pick faults with some of the scene setting), I did really like this book which is why I've rated it so highly. It was a lovely little read and just what I needed after reading some heavier tomes recently. I've never read any of Victoria Connelly's books before but I wouldn't hesitate to do so again- particularly if they're all priced as decently as this one on the Kindle. I would also love to see the film version that has been made of this book providing it comes with subtitles that is (it was produced by a German film company)! It sounds utterly joyful.

Recommended for those who like their chick-lit with a nice touch of sentiment and imagination.

*This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk* show less

First of all, what a beautiful cover. Secondly, the main characters' stories are painful, compelling, and tangible. Not to mention the setting along the Jurassic Coast is captivating.

The book is told from three points of view. Catherine "Cate" Rivers is fleeing her abusive husband with her daughter Eliza to work for Charles "Mr. Fossil" Thorner as his housekeeper and assistant. Charles is a recluse paleontologist who lives and breathes his work with fossils while trying to forget his show more traumatic past. Allie is a single mother dealing with her son's estranged father's surprising return and she is helping her old school friend, Cate start a new life in Dorset. Can they all find peace from their unsettling pasts?

Cate's strength and kindness are what make her a good mother to her sweet and smart daughter Eliza. Their traumatic story of domestic abuse is a sad statistic, but they are starting a new life. Cate is getting her confidence and self-respect back and Eliza is trusting others and finally speaking every now and then after going mute during an awful event with her father. I give credit to Charles for overcoming his own guilt and self-isolation about his son's death, guiding an inquisitive little girl to learn about fossils, and helping a young mother learn to trust again.

Allie is undergoing some changes as well when her son's father, Craig, returns from traveling all over the world. He hasn't seen them in years and now wants to make up for his long absence by spending time with his son. However, it's going to be on Allie's terms because he hasn't earned her trust. I respect Allie's compassion for her son to get to know his father, and I understand her reservations about letting Craig take his son out of the country. However, her solution to travel closer to home together may be more than everyone can handle considering Craig is untrustworthy and a bit of a jerk.

The friendships between Allie, Cate, Charles, and Eliza are real and convincing. I particularly like the interaction between Eliza and Charles which is very moving with Charles' patience as a good male role model for a vulnerable little girl. It was sweet when Charles was just excited as Cate when Eliza spoke. And don't forget about Rigs the cute terrier who is a friend to all.

This lovely story is more about women's fiction than romance, but there is promise. It is about starting over from tragedy, abuse, and desertion. The fossil hunting is educating and the setting is beautifully rugged and wild.

Thank you to Ms. Connelly for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less