Sea Of Dreams
Sea Of Dreams is a book that has you turning the pages and before you realise, it’s over. A story that has so much going on that you are kept intrigued all the way through.
We meet Holly and Mark, they are breaking with their tradition of helping Uncle Reg at Christmas, he has holiday chalets in Somerset and their normal Christmas would be to go and help with the quests and all the other work involved. This year they long for a quiet one with just each other for company. Until they discover Reg has to be admitted to the hospital! They make the moral decision to do what they need to and rescue Reg with the chalets.
They prepare the chalets as always, ready for another chalet Christmas. The guests all arrive and what a mix! From the young married couple expecting their first child, which brings things up for Holly to deal with, to the eccentric painter with his daughter. This causes a bubble of gossip within the group alone. Then everyone in between, including a woman who is attempting to get away from a violent past. This group of characters are all well written and fleshed out, giving us plenty to get to grips with and hold your attention very easily. There are so many things going on and so many different emotions it does create a lovely story.
Susan Sallis manages to create a book that is heartwarming and with believable characters that, although diverse make the most interesting journey together.
No Man’s Island
Binnie is living her life in peace and quiet in the West country when she receives news her ex-husband has passed away. She also discovers he has left her an island in the archipelago off the coast of Cornwall. He grew up there. Binnie decides to take her family and go to the Island, a place she has not visited in years. What follows is a search for discovery for herself with a hint of mystery and even intrigue.
Susan Sallis, again, manages to create a beautiful picture for my mind’s eye, with the island and the islanders. She shows us that Island living isn’t always sunbathing and cocktails at six. There is hard work involved in it as well. Her characters, even in this book, are quirky and full of character,
I do feel Susan Sallis is an expert in descriptive writing and characterisation as this is the second book where the characters jump of the page and make you want to know them and what will happen to them This story is an atmospheric one too. With Binnie, we are faced with trying to find out who her ex really was, because it truly seems on this island he was a different man than she knew.
Another great read for me from Susan Sallis and I, for one, appreciate that these books are coming back out into the world again. She is a talent that deserves to be read for decades.
Thank you to Transworld Books and Random Things Tours for the copies of these two books for this double review today.
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