Do you know, just before life changed for a while, I was actually starting to plan my holidays for this year – long haul has become difficult because of mum, but I’d really decided it might just be the year when I’d finally travel to Guernsey. Best laid plans, eh?!
But the reason it was on my list was largely Anne Allen’s wonderful Guernsey Novels, and I’m delighted to be able to tell you about a rather special offer – and the chance to visit from the comfort of your own armchair. Until 5th April, you can buy an e-book box set of the first three novels in the series for the bargain price of 99p – here’s the link.
Let’s take a closer look at the individual books – the first in the series is Dangerous Waters…
Tragedy seems to follow Jeanne Le Page around . . .
Can she really go through it again and survive?
She is lucky to be alive … at sixteen Jeanne was almost killed in a boating accident which brought heart-breaking family tragedy. Now, fifteen years later, Jeanne returns reluctantly to the island of Guernsey following the death of her beloved grandmother. Struggling for breath as the ferry nears the island; she is overwhelmed by a dark foreboding as hazy memories of that terrible day resurface…
Only returning to sell her inheritance – her grandmother’s old cottage – Jeanne has no intention of picking up her old life. But the cottage holds a secret, dating back to World War II and the German Occupation, and Jeanne becomes drawn into discovering more. Then, soon after her arrival, a chance meeting with an old teenage crush leads her to thoughts of love.
Jeanne is forced to face her demons, reliving the tragedy as her lost memory returns. When the truth is finally revealed, her life is endangered for the second time…
I read this book way back in 2014, my first taste of Anne Allen’s lovely writing – and I have a review I can share again…
This really was a thoroughly lovely read. Jeanne returns to Guernsey after a long absence to tie up the affairs of her grandmother: she has tragic memories of an accident at sea when she lost her parents, and the flashbacks still haunt her. She decides to stay in Guernsey, to take some time to rebuild her life after the end of a relationship, and starts to renovate the cottage she’s inherited. While doing so, she finds a series of letters revealing wartime secrets, and the story becomes a fascinating exploration of events that happened to ordinary people during the German occupation.
The whole book balances superbly the secrets of the past with a present day thread which encompasses an unfolding romance and a gripping story. The author captures the beauty of Guernsey in her every description, and plainly knows it well.
And yes, I suspect you’ll notice that my reviews are rather better written these days!
The second in the series is Finding Mother…
Three women. Three generations. Sacrifices for love…
Who is she really? Nicole is about to find out as she searches for her real mother; the woman who gave her away at birth. With her marriage in tatters, she sets out from England: travelling to Spain, Jersey and Guernsey before the extraordinary story of her real family is finally revealed.
Nicole becomes an unwitting catalyst for change in that family. Two women are forced to reveal long-buried secrets. One going back as far as the Second World War. Lives are transformed as choices have to be made and the past laid to rest…
And yes, I have a review of this one too – again from 2014…
Nicole walks away from her cheating husband and decides the time is right to find out who she really is – adopted at birth, she decides to try and find her birth mother, and the search takes her to Guernsey. The story that unfolds spans three generations of women, with their stories of love, loss and some of the most difficult decisions possible.
The characters are really well drawn – particularly the three women at the centre of the story – and the book is perfectly paced, dealing with some challenging issues but never becoming anything other than a thoroughly enjoyable read.
And, as with Dangerous Waters, this book has a very strong sense of place – the same vivid Guernsey settings, along with some scenes in Herm (which sounds quite beautiful – when I visit, it’ll have to be a day trip…!).
One lovely touch is that Nicole is brought together at one point with the main characters from the first book – Finding Mother would be perfectly readable as a stand-alone, but there’s something rather good about finding out what happened next to characters whose company you’ve so enjoyed.
And the third in the series? Ah, that was Guernsey Retreat…
Two violent deaths. Separated by time, but with a fatal connection…
A man loses his father. A young woman loses her mother. Both in tragic circumstances that lead, when they meet, to surprising revelations from the past.
Louisa needs to find the father she has never known, to warn him of possible danger – for them both. Her search takes her from England to Guernsey. Malcolm’s journey is more complicated: conceived in Guernsey, his bereaved mother emigrates with him to Canada. Many years later he arrives in India, and from here he is led back to Guernsey to open a health centre at La Folie. This was his father’s home and where he was killed at the start of the Second World War.
At the heart of the two deaths lie stolen jewels. Valuable enough to kill for. Twice.
Finding her father brings Louisa more than she bargains for, and her life is transformed, while Malcolm learns that life is, after all, for sharing…
And, would you believe it, I think this is the only one of Anne’s books that I haven’t read and reviewed – but you will find a lovely interview here, again from 2014, where she told me more about it.
But I did go on to read all the other books in the series – and it’s something you might find yourself wanting to do too when you’ve tried the first three. And at just 99p for the box set – oh go on, you might love her books as much as I do.
About the author
Anne Allen lives in Devon, by her beloved sea. She has three children, and her daughter and two grandchildren live nearby. Her restless spirit has meant a number of moves which included Spain for a couple of years. The longest stay was in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns.
By profession, Anne was a psychotherapist, but long had the itch to write. Now a full-time writer, she has written The Guernsey Novels, with seven now published.
To find out more about Anne visit her website: you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
Hi Anne, thanks again for featuring my books and this special promotion, aimed at encouraging people to try the series at low cost at this difficult time. We all love a bargain and are in desperate need of escapism now. Best wishes. Anne x
It was a real pleasure Anne – and I know all your new readers will enjoy them just as much as I did xx
A lovely series of novels. Congratulations Anne. A super post on a fabulous Blog.. xx