The Winter Garden

Finished March 1

The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick

This novel has an element of the paranormal and a lot of historical content. Lucy Brown is a violinist who has suddenly reached a point where she can't play. A virus has left her with long-term muscle issues that have taken away her livelihood and her joy. After treatments, she has retreated to her aunt's property in Oxfordshire. Her aunt is away on business, but Lucy's sister Cleo, who lives nearby has made the arrangements for Lucy to stay indefinitely. 

Lucy is lost, grieving for her career and the joy it brought her, but also looking ahead to figure out how she will support herself going forward. She's put her whole life into her music and doesn't know what her skills might transfer to. 

When she arrives at Gunpowder Cottage, she is tired after a long journey and looking forward to an early night, so finding someone else at the cottage is a surprise. Finn MacIntyre is a landscape gardener and archivist and has been hired by Lucy's Verity to restore the garden to its origins, some of which might reach back to the 1600s. He is living in the cottage with his dog Geoffrey, for reasons that come to light the following day. Meanwhile Lucy moves into the newly renovated barn, where Finn was supposed to staying. 

Lucy soon finds herself having visions and sensations like she is transported to a different time and seeing the property through someone else's eyes. She even has an identity for that person. As she tries to make sense of this and think about why this is happening to her, she also begins to learn more about the property's history, specifically its connection to Robert Catesby, one of the leaders of the Gunpowder Plot. 

Finn is also going through a bad time with the recent loss of his brother Charlie, a historian who was also working on the property, and he has been immersing himself in his work both as a way to honour his brother and lose himself in the work itself. 

As the two cross paths more often and begin to discover things that enlighten the work Finn is doing, they also find answers to their own troubles. 

This is a story that draws on real history, while also creating a great contemporary plot. The interspersing of diary entries from an early time bring the elements together in an interesting way. I had a hard time putting this one down. 

Ties That Tether

Finished February 25

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo

Azere Izoduwa is a creative director at an advertising agency in Toronto. She, her mother, and her younger sister Efe immigrated to Canada from Nigeria when she was twelve, after her father's death. They were sponsored by her father's brother, a widower with a son slightly older than her, Jacob. Before her father died, he insisted that she promise him that she would marry a man from the same tribe, Ebo, to stay true to her culture. Azere's mother keeps setting her up with eligible Ebo men, but nothing has clicked for Azere. As the book starts, she has been on yet another dinner date, and this one has definitely not gone well. When she walks out of the restaurant, a high end on in a luxury hotel, she decides that she could use a drink, and she stops at the bar. She starts a conversation with a man there, and finds herself drawn to him in a very strong way. 

Rafael Castellano is a Toronto native who has been living in New York City and is back in town for an interview. When he sees Azere and begins to talk to her, he too finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. In the heated moment, they both give in to their impulses and the two end up in Rafael's hotel room. 

A month later Azere finds herself meeting her one-night stand again, only this time as her co-worker. As the two maneuver this unexpected situation, Azere finds herself pulled between her promise to her father and her strong feelings for this man. 

I liked the way the book moved back and forth between the two main characters in voice. We could see the secrets that each was keeping from each other, secrets that drew them together, and secrets that pushed them apart. They both come from cultures that I am not that familiar with. Azere is very active in the Nigerian Canadian community, and her culture is a strong part of her identity. She eats Nigerian food, watches Nigerian movies, and listens to Nigerian music. She has been a compliant daughter, and still performs regular tasks for her mother, like mowing the lawn. 

Rafael spent his childhood summers with his grandmother in Spain, and his family still spends regular time there. As the story begins, the rest of the family is in Spain for an extended holiday. 

As the two spend time together both at work and in their personal lives, they both must make difficult decisions, and deal with a situation that brings them even closer. 

This was a different romance for me, with the additional of the cultural elements and the larger than life character of Azere's mother playing a big part in the story. Enlightening and entertaining. 

Love Lettering

Finished February 23

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

This novel is an unusual romance. The main character Meg Mackworth has built a career doing hand-lettering. She's gained a following designing custom journals for her clients. She is associated with a small independent stationery shop in Brooklyn, near where she shares an apartment with an old high school friend. Before she did planners, Meg did a lot of work around weddings and other events. 

But things are changing. Meg's roommate Sibby is planning to move out, but in truth Sibby has been pulling away from her for quite a while and Meg hasn't asked why. Meg has been invited to apply to a major stationery company to have a line of her own, but she finds herself blocked creatively. And now, as the book opens a former client has reappeared in her life to ask her a very difficult question about a very unprofessional piece of work she did more than a year before. 

Meg is embarrassed to be caught out, and yet this man Reid Sutherland is a compelling figure. He is buttoned down and formal, and yet something about him interests Meg. After he admits he hates New York City and he's a numbers guy, she gives in to an impulse and invites him to be part of a plan she has, an idea to move herself forward on the project for the opportunity that has been presented to her. 

As they spend time together, the two try to understand each other, letters and numbers, with patterns a common element. Meg tries to use the city itself to show him that New York has much to offer, not just the signs she looks for. And he tries to understand and see things through her eyes. 

This is a story that builds slowly over time and has surprises for both Meg and Reid. Meg must redefine herself and think about what she really wants to do. Reid has his own secrets, and things he is dealing with, and they have an unexpected impact on Meg's life. 

I really enjoyed this book. I've always found calligraphy interesting and enjoyed the art of lettering, so having that a focus for this book, seeing it included in the story in interesting visual ways was fun and brought another element to this book about a developing relationship. 

Such a Quiet Place

Finished February 21

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

This suspense novel takes place in Hollow's Edge, a college town somewhere in the northeastern United States. Harper Nash has lived in the community for several years, first with her fiance Aidan, and then after he left her, with a younger woman, Ruby Fletcher. Ruby's dad had retired and moved away and she needed a place to stay. A year and a half before this story starts, Harper's next door neighbours, Brandon and Fiona Truett were found dead in their home, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Since their detector was missing, foul play was suspected, and things got very tense. After a short trial, Ruby was found guilty of their murder. But her conviction has now been overturned and Ruby is back. Back in the neighbourhood and back in Harper's house. Harper isn't sure why, it isn't like her job is still there, and Harper disposed of most of her stuff after the conviction, but she isn't the type of woman to ask Ruby to leave, and so she does nothing about it.

As Ruby makes herself at home, talking to people, borrowing Harper's clothes and car, and beginning to ask questions. Questions about what other people were doing that night. When it becomes clear that others have secrets that they aren't telling about that time, things get very tense. Harper is in the middle of things and she too begins asking question. Questions about what people saw, about who they told, about what security cameras picked up and didn't pick up. And then she starts getting threatening notes, and she realizes that she must step outside her comfort zone and face the issues that underlie the tension.

This is a story of a community where everyone seems to know everyone, but they don't know anything beyond the surface. A story where Harper has already faced betrayal and lost friends. Harper is a woman who tries to not make waves, who avoids conflict, and she must act in ways she isn't entirely comfortable with to find the truth. A very interesting story of community and secrets. 

To Swoon and to Spar

Finished February 20

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters

This historical romance novel is the fourth in the Regency Vows series, set around the same group of young aristocrats and upper class people living in the early 19th century. This book is the first that I've read in the series, and I was struck by the witty tone of the novel. It had me smiling often, and occasionally laughing aloud. 

The book opens with a tense scene with the two main characters looking for the source of a suspiciously ghost-like series of noises and then jumps back to a few months earlier. 

This book's male lead is Penvale, a viscount who has dreamed of regaining his family's ancestral home in Cornwall, Trethwick Abbey, ever since it was sold at his father's death. Penvale's paternal uncle bought it at the time, but the brothers were estranged and Penvale and his younger sister Diana were farmed out to family on their mother's side until they came of age. 

Penvale became a viscount as a child at the age of ten, and had grown up at Trethwick Abbey, and thus the dream of regaining the home had become a driving force for him. Since he'd moved to London to take his seat as a Lord after finishing at Oxford, Penvale has been investing the money he has won at the gaming table to rebuild his finances, hoping to convince his uncle to sell Trethwick Abbey back to him. As we discover, his uncle has approached him unexpectedly to sell the home to him, on one condition. That condition is that he marry his uncle's ward, Jane Spencer, a refined but untitled young woman of twenty-one. Penvale insists on meeting her first to ascertain that she isn't being coerced into this arrangement, but as we see from the prologue, wastes no time in going through with the marriage. 

Part of this story is told from Jane's point of view as we see how she has had a hand in bringing the opening circumstances about. Jane is not interested in a husband, but she loves the home, and enjoys the extensive library there. She sets in motion a plan to drive Penvale away through various happenings that indicate the house is haunted. But Penvale isn't that easy to scare away, and he instead tries to determine the cause of these odd events. 

As the two main characters spend time together at Trethwick Abbey as newlyweds, they begin to get to know each other slowly. Penvale spends a great deal of time getting to know the details of the estate, its finances, and his tenants and servants. Jane gradually ventures beyond the grounds of the Abbey and gets to know the wider community. I enjoyed watching them getting to know each other's secrets and quirks, and find themselves increasingly drawn to each other's company. I also appreciated Jane's enjoyment and curiosity when it came to reading. 

This is not your typical Regency romance, and I liked seeing how they defied the stereotypes and revealed some surprising pastimes. The writing is unexpected yet somehow perfect. The romance has underlying sexual tension and several surprising moments. If you like historical romance with believable characters and a bit of spice this series is for you. 

March Reviews for the 16th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 I can't believe it is March already! This weekend is supposed to be a snowy one where I am. A good time to snuggle up with a good book. Post your links to reviews read this month below.

A World of Curiosities

Finished February 14

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

I read this just after her previous one, and while good it wasn't as good in my view. This book is more violent and more personal in a different sense. It opens with a graduation, one that is a happy occasion for most, but also has elements of past violence. The graduation is at the cole Polytechnic in Montreal, at which there is a tribute to the women killed in 1989. One of the students graduating did not actually attend the school, but took the courses from her prison cell. Her story takes readers back to the first meeting between Gamache and Jean-Guy Bouvier, a meeting that took place during a murder investigation in a small northern Quebec town. Another student receiving special honours has a connection with Three Pines, as she is Myrna's niece. 

It also takes Gamache back into another criminal connection from his past, a serial killer that he encountered with a remarkable ability to get into people's heads and manipulate them. 

In Three Pines, there are also changes. After many years without a leader for their small church they have one, one who came to religion later in life after a Wall Street career, and who seems to know loss. Myrna is thinking of moving, needing a home with more space to accommodate her niece. So when the rumour of a secret room in Myrna's loft begins, it seems like it may offer an answer.

Instead, the room offers more questions. Questions about what is hidden there and about who hid it and why. These questions also reach back into the past and into Quebec's early history, but also into the art world and a painting known as The Paston Treasure, a painting that was done by an unknown painter, seemingly to show off a collection of odd items connected in the family's travels. 

As always, Penny draws on real stories and adds in her own fictional elements to create a story that captures the imagination. She encompasses bigger issues such as the damage done to child victims of crimes, and how people react when faced with their biggest fears. 

The stakes are high in this tale, and so is the tension, and we see more of what have been minor characters until now, like Billy Williams, as well as a reappearance by Amelia Choquet.