Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

    The Unravelling of Julia By Lisa Scottoline       SUMMARY: When Julia’s husband is brutally murdered in a random attack, her life unravels in ways she never could have foreseen. Haunted by his death and spiralling into despair, Julia seeks refuge in a secluded Italian villa she has mysteriously inherited from a stranger. But her sanctuary becomes a prison as she uncovers disturbing connections to her own past – and faces chilling threats that may not be imaginary. Caught between a heritage she doesn’t understand and a darkness she can’t escape, Julia must confront secrets that could cost her what little she has left. The Unravelling of Julia is a gripping, atmospheric tale of grief, memory, and a descent into psychological terror that will keep readers turning pages deep into the night.   MY REVIEW: If you ever wondered what a page turner was… this is it. Engrossing, exciting, suspenseful, compelling. Ghost meets Home Before Dark ...

    The Italian Village in The Hills    By Victoria Springfield SUMMARY: Stella has spent decades trying to forget the heartbreak that made her flee the Italian village of her childhood. But when her new fiancé surprises her with a trip back to Liguria for her upcoming birthday, she is forced to confront the past, her first love and a tragic family rift. Amy is mourning her beloved grandpa and curious to know more about the old coin necklace and mysterious postcard that he left her. Following his trail to the Italian Riviera, a chance meeting leads Amy to Stella’s village in the hills and to secrets that have lain buried since the war. Against a backdrop of cobbled medieval streets, sunlit piazzas and rustic olive groves, both Stella and Amy make surprising discoveries about their families – and themselves. By facing up to the past and opening their hearts, can Stella and Amy find happiness in the Italian village in the hills?   MY REVIEW: Wh...

When the Mountains Dance  by Christine Toomey   SUMMARY: Love, loss and hope in the heart of Italy ‘In the wake of the strongest earthquake in Italy for nearly forty years and the many aftershocks that followed, Italians began speaking of the earth beneath our feet as la terra ballerina, the dancing earth. The dance they spoke of was unrelenting.’ Foreign correspondent Christine Toomey spent years renovating her glorious, long-abandoned hill-top home in Le Marche, Italy, as a haven of rest from covering crises around the world. But in 2016, the peace and beauty of this beloved landscape were thrown into chaos when a series of powerful earthquakes struck the heart of the Apennines. Wracked with grief for a place still reverberating with seismic aftershocks, Christine decided that one way of preserving the community was to tell its history. Fuelled by the artefacts uncovered in her attic - including oil paintings and lithographs, a map, thick with dust but showing deta...