September's giveaway is The World Is A Wedding by Wendy Jones

You can find my review here - http://www.alwaysreading.net/2014/08/prr-world-is-wedding-by-wendy-jones.html As always, the competition will remain open until the end of the month. Apologies it has taken so long to list, I was on holiday and have a few reviews to catch up with too.

Just fill in the rafflecopter below, the more options you do the more entries you have. Good luck.

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PRR - The World Is A Wedding by Wendy Jones

The World is a Wedding by Wendy Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Publisher - Corsair

Pages - 265

Blurb from Goodreads

Wendy Jones picks up where 'The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals' left off. It's 1926 and Wilfred Price, purveyor of superior funerals, is newly married to the beautiful Flora Myfanwy. His brief and painful marriage to Grace is in the past. He's busy with funerals - and preparing for fatherhood by reading a philosophy book and opening a paint and wallpaper business. As much as he loves Flora, he senses her distance from him - are marriage and fatherhood going to be very different from how Wilfred imagined?

Grace has fled from Narberth to London, where she is working as a chambermaid at the luxurious Ritz Hotel. But Grace has a secret, one that can't be hidden forever, and binds her to her old life in west Wales.

Despite Wilfred's earnest effort to embrace the future, he is beginning to wonder if the past has too powerful a hold on him.



My Review

Having read the first book I would suggest you read it before picking this one up. You can read this one without having read the first but I think you would enjoy it more checking out the first part of the story. We pick up with Wilfred Price, undertaker and funeral director, set in 1925. After a quick and painful marriage to Grace, he is now looking toward his impending marriage to the lovely Flora. Their tale covers their union, the business and the small town they live in and the happenings of Narbeth. Grace has since fled to London, trying to find work and hiding a secret meaning she can't quite escape Narbeth or her past.

This is a tale with happiness, sadness, confrontation, secrets & the heart of relationships. We see Wilbur's character continue to grow, looking after her new bride, trying to expand his business and trying to prepare for the future. Although Grace has gone and Flora is everything he hoped for her can't quite forget about Grace and her misfortune.

The is a book that has a few layers and deals with subjects that can be difficult to read, it is dealt with in a sensitive manner yet still evokes sympathy and feeling from the reader. There was just a few things that I didn't quite get although I feel I may be in the minority with it. One character has quite a change in their personality and behavior with not a great deal of explanation and I found a few things that one or two characters done came from nowhere which I personally don't like. However, over all it is a good read, the author has a gentle style that flows and despite the book being set in the early 1900s, which isn't always a bit hit with me, she covered it very well. 3/5 for me this time, I would read this author again and much thanks to Little Brown Book Group for sending me a copy.

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NBR - The Thoughts & Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones

The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 1.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Everyone has to make decisions about love...

Wilfred Price, overcome with emotion and a yellow dress, on a sunny spring day, proposes to a girl he barely knows at a picnic. The girl, Grace, joyfully accepts and rushes to tell her family of Wilfred's intentions. But by this time Wilfred realized his mistake. He does not love Grace.

Wendy Jones' charming first novel is a moving depiction of love and secrecy, set against the rural backdrop of a 1920's Welsh Village, and is beautifully told.

My Review

Wilfred Price is a fairly naive young man with the world at his feet. He has his own business with ideas of building and expanding. Overcome with male emotions on a hot day with a pretty girl in a low cut dress he gets caught up in the moment and proposes. What follows is a cloud of regret, steps to correct his mistake and a budding new love interest but will it all go to plan?

I read a really great review on this and wanted to try it (books set in the early 1920s aren't usually my thing). To be honest I found it pretty slow going for most of the first half, however that said the author made a good job of introducing the characters and creating a real and engaging setting for the drama that follows.

I had a huge dislike for Grace for the first part of the book but as the story starts to take shape and more is revealed I actually felt sorry for her. Wilfred is a bit of a young silly boy led by his emotions and doesn't think before he acts however as the book goes on we see him grow and mature which is a nice journey to follow.

The book deals with a few tough issues but instead of being in your face and over the top like a lot of books are written, it is very subtle and dignified considering what some of the content is. A good novel although I personally like my books more in your face and fast paced but this is definitely worth a look at especially if you like your books a bit demure. 3/5 for me and I would consider this author again, thanks to Newbooks mag for giving me a chance to review this and introduce me to another new author.

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