Mothers and Daughters by Erica James #BookReview #HQ #NetGalley #4.5*

A sweeping family drama of old secrets and new beginnings…

Even happy families have their secrets…

Since the sudden death of her husband, Naomi has steadily rebuilt the life they shared in the village of Tilsham by the sea.

Her eldest daughter, Martha, is sensible and determined – just like her father was – and very much in control of where her life is going. If she could just get pregnant with her husband, life would be perfect.

Willow, the youngest, was always more sunny and easy-going, yet drifted through life, much to her father’s frustration. But now, with charming new boyfriend, Rick, she has a very good reason to settle down.

The three women are as close as can be. But there are things Naomi has kept from her daughters. Like the arrival of Ellis, a long-lost friend from way back, now bringing the fun and spark back into her life. And she’s certainly never told them that her marriage to their father wasn’t quite what it seemed…

The Sunday Times bestselling author Erica James returns with this gloriously compelling tale of mothers and daughters, secrets and love.

A Touching Tale of Family Dynamics!

A touching and honest portrayal of a mother and her two daughters dealing with that thing called life.

Naomi has been widowed for two years. Her daughters are chalk and cheese; Martha, the eldest, is a chip off the old block with her father’s characteristics, holding down a responsible job, and with a solid marriage the only thing not going her way is her need for a child. Younger sister Willow is more of a free spirit, floating through life from job to job, which was a constant frustration to her father. Naomi loves her two girls, but when she meets an old friend it upsets the equilibrium and, although they think they know everything about their mother, Naomi, like most of us, has her secrets – and she’s not the only one.

This is a wonderful family saga and Erica James has the ability of getting to the heart of families with an honesty I’ve long admired. Siblings are often very different to each other and the author does an excellent job of bringing life to her characters. It’s not all sweetness and light in their world, hidden secrets tend to reveal themselves in time and there are some shocking issues in this one. It is a lovely story of trauma and survival and I admired each of the women, but can’t help but feel that it’s a little fortuitous that everything worked out so easily. In my experience, it’s not that easy – but this is fiction and very well written fiction at that. Very enjoyable and a definite recommended read to every who enjoys a good family saga. 4.5*

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: women’s saga

• Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook
• Size: 447 pages
• Publisher: HQ
• Publication Date: 17 March 2022
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com
• https://play.google.com
• https://www.foyles.co.uk
• https://www.kobo.com
• https://www.whsmith.co.uk
• https://www.waterstones.com
• https://wordery.com
• https://www.amazon.co.uk

Author Details

With an insatiable appetite for other people’s business, Erica James will readily strike up conversation with strangers in the hope of unearthing a useful gem for her writing. She finds it the best way to write authentic characters for her novels, although her two grown-up sons claim they will never recover from a childhood spent in a perpetual state of embarrassment at their mother’s compulsion.

The author of nineteen bestselling novels, and the winner of the 2006 Romantic Novel of the Year Award, Erica divides her time between Suffolk and Lake Como in Italy.

• Website: https://ericajames.co.uk/
• Twitter: @TheEricaJames
• Facebook: @EricaJamesAuthor
• Instagram: @the_ericajames

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