The Seven Sisters (Seven Sisters Book 1) - Lucinda Riley

The Seven Sisters is a sweeping epic tale of love and loss by the international number one bestseller Lucinda Riley.

Maia D’Aplièse and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home – a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva – having been told that their beloved adoptive father, the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt, has died.

Each of them is handed a tantalising clue to their true heritage – a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil . . .

Eighty years earlier, in the Belle Époque of Rio, 1927, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into aristocracy. But Izabela longs for adventure, and convinces him to allow her to accompany the family of a renowned architect on a trip to Paris. In the heady, vibrant streets of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again.

The Seven Sisters is the first book in the spellbinding Seven Sisters series, inspired by the mythology of the famous star constellation. It is followed by The Storm Sister.

 

What did I think?

I have wanted to read The Seven Sisters for a while but with so many books, so little time I didn't know how I would ever fit in a 622 page novel, but I am SO glad that I made time for it.  It is breathtaking!

The Seven Sisters is inspired by Greek mythology and Pa Salt (Atlas) names his six adopted daughters after the daughters of Atlas and Pleione: Maia, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Taygete and Electra.  On Pa Salt's death, he leaves his daughters a letter with clues to their birth, should they wish to discover where they are from.  This book is Maia's story.  

I fell in love with this book the moment I picked it up; the writing is so beautiful and the story so compelling that I couldn't put it down.  It has a dual timeline with the story alternating between Maia in 2007 and her great-grandmother Izabela eighty years earlier in 1927.  Location plays a big part in The Seven Sisters and Geneva, Rio and Paris are painted so beautifully that I felt as if I was there.

The way that Lucinda Riley weaves historical facts with a captivating fictional story is absolutely breathtaking and I absolutely devoured every single beautifully written word, gathering interesting historical facts along the way.  I love how The Seven Sisters has the contained storyline of one sister but it's part of a much bigger picture and I can't wait to read more of the series.  

Captivating, breathtaking and epic, The Seven Sisters is a very highly recommended read - it's well worth making time to read this stunning novel.

I received a paperback to read and review for a Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Where the Magic Is - Giselle Green

Sofia’s due to marry rich Rio businessman, Cristian… only, she’s just learnt that her daughter Ida is about to lose her eyesight. When she decides to take Ida on one last ‘memory trip’ to the Scottish Highlands, Sofia’s impoverished family become alarmed. So close to the big wedding, she’s forced to keep the real reason for her trip a secret…

Handsome Scotsman Cal’s a dream tour guide… but he’s got some secrets of his own. Unknown to the others, caring Cal usually works as a male escort… a job which keeps him trapped and compromised, and also keeps any real chance of love at bay. Meeting the girls, Cal is poignantly about to reconnect with the side of him that once longed for more.

Meanwhile, Sofia’s faced with the dilemma of how best to support Ida whilst keeping her fiancé and family on side.

Questioning how ‘free’ she really is… Sofia’s now forced to consider what price she’s prepared to pay, to follow her conscience and her heart?

 

What did I think?

Where the Magic Is is a love story with a difference; set in Brazil and Scotland, it has family at its heart with two brilliant main characters, one who has lost his family and one who would do anything for hers.  I love Giselle Green's books, they really speak to the reader's heart whilst her characters experience a wealth of emotions.   

Sofia's upcoming wedding is a dream come true...for her family.  They are finally going up in the world as Sofia is about to marry into a rich and powerful family in Rio de Janeiro.  With wedding plans fully underway, Sofia's daughter Ida gets some distressing news: she is losing her eyesight and nothing can be done to save it.  Sofia is not willing to give up without a fight so she takes Ida to an experimental clinic in England, under the guise of a trip to the Scottish Highlands where Ida's favourite movie was set.

Former military man Cal is working as a male escort when he spots his commanding officer drowning his sorrows in the pub.  Ray can't afford to take time off from his job as a tour guide to recover from a back injury, so Cal offers to step in and cover for him.  One of Ray's jobs is take two Brazilians to the Scottish Highlands...

Of course, a romance blossoms between Cal and Sofia but it's not straightforward at all.  Sofia has Ida and her whole family to think of and Cal has demons of his own to face.  It was an absolute delight to see how Cal and Sofia's relationship grew, but it was Ida who stole the show for me.  Ida may be losing her sight, but she sees joy in everything.  Her enthusiasm is contagious, and the scenery is painted so vividly, that I felt as if I was touring the Highlands with them.

Truly magical from start to finish, Where the Magic Is is so beautifully written it completely warmed my heart and made me appreciate things that we usually take for granted.  Highly recommended.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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