Best Kept Secret (Book #3 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

1945. The vote in the House of Lords as to who should inherit the Barrington family fortune has ended in a tie.  The Lord Chancellor's deciding vote will cast a long shadow in the lives of Harry Clifton and Giles Barrington.

Harry returns to America to promote his latest novel, while his beloved Emma goes in search of the little girl who was found abandoned in her father's office on the night he was killed.

When the General Election is called Giles Barrington has to defend his seat in the House of Commons and is horrified to discover who the Conservatives select to stand against him. But it is Sabastian Clifton, Harry and Emma's son, who ultimately influences his uncle's fate.

in 1957, Sebastian wins a scholarship to Cambridge, and a new generation of the Clifton family march onto the page.  After Sabastian is expelled from school, he unwittingly becomes caught up in a case of international art fraud involving a Rodin statue that is worth far more than the sum it raises at auction. 

This is what I say :

Best Kept Secret is the third book of The Clifton Chronicles right after the first title Only Time will Tell and book two The Sins of the Father.

I feel there's too many things happening the the third title. It felt very rushed and also rather breathless to read as things are happening all at once to everyone that the characters become rather two dimension and dont really developed well.

I feel the author just wanted to pack a lot of things to move to story along to a particular future and such everything felt rush.  Having said that, it's still entertaining book and I remember I brought this title with me on a trip to the capital city around this time last year.

Once you are done with Best Kept Secret, you will need to then move to the forth title in the series which is Be Careful What You Wish For which will be my next post.

The Sins of the Father (Book #2 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

On the heels of the international bestseller Only Time Will Tell, Jeffrey Archer picks up the sweeping story of the Clifton Chronicles.

Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy.
But his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German U-boat, drowning almost the entire crew.  An American cruise liner, the SS Kansas Star, rescues a handful of sailors, among them Harry and the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw.  When Bradshaw dies in the night, Harry seizes on the chance to escape his tangled past and assumes his identity.

But on landing in America, he quickly learns the mistake he has made, when he discovers what is awaiting Bradshaw in New York.  Without any way of proving his true identity, Harry Clifton is now chained to a past that could be far worse than the one he had hoped to escape.

This is what I say :

The Sins of the Father is second title in the Clifton Chronicles Series.  It continues and follows the story of Harry Clifton right after he arrives in America.

If you are interested in the Clifton Chronicles, you will need to start with the first book Only Time Will Tell and you will need to read the titles in the book order.  Only then will you be able to appreciate and follow the storyline.

The Sins of The Father is as captivating as the first book. It not only tells the story of Harry Clifton but also the story of the love of his life, Emma Barrington and what she went through to get reunited with Harry.

Right after this would be book no. 3, Best Kept Secret.

Only Time Will Tell (Book #1 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany.

From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.

This is what I say :

This post will start the review of The Clifton Chronicles of which there are about 6 to 7 titles.  Only Time Will Tell is the first title of the series which I read about a year ago.

I made much effort to gather all the physical books in the series even way before Covid. I got it from book sales, from FB marketplace and even from charity sales and they have a place in my shelf.  However,  about a year ago, I started to take them down one after another to read and now I am in book five

Only Time Will Tell started the tale of Harry Clifton.  The first book explores his identity.  Whose son is he actually?  Harry Clifton was portrayed as a rather gifted child with angelic voices who went to a prestigious school under a scholarship and met some friends and foes there who will impacting his life and the lives of his family in years to come.  The book ended with a rather cliff hanger to entice readers to quickly pick up book #2, The Sins of the Father.

The Godmother by Carrie Adams

 

Synopsis :

Tessa King is The Godmother 

And she's having the time of her life. Trouble is, she doesn't know it.

Sassy and solvent, Tessa King has nothing tying her down but her friends and her four godchidren. She could accept any invitation and go on any adventure.

But she doesn't. She's idling in neutral, waiting for her own 'happy ever after'

The her wish for domestic bliss is granted. Marriage and motherhood coud be hers if she wants them.  But as ever, the devil's in the detail and Tessa soon discovers that 'happy ever after' is just the beginning of the story because some fairytales aren't fair.

This is what I say :

This is yet another title that I read quite a while back.  It was quite entertaining but as of recent reads, I am also not too fond of the main character.  The way it's written, Tessa King just doesnt warm up to me.  

She does well enough to warm up to her godchildren especially the rebellious teen.  Along the way, she tries to find her own man to start her own family but no, it didn't end with her doing just that.

Would I recommend this title?  I dont really think I would.

The Last Secret of The Temple by Paul Sussman

 

Synopsis :

In the year 70 AD, as the Romans sacked and destroyed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, a young Jewish boy was hidden away and chosen as the guardian of a great secret. For seventy generations this secret remained safeguarded. But in present day Israel, a Jewish radical threatens to reveal this hidden truth and use it to rend apart the fragile Middle East—and only an unlikely duo of hardened detectives of very different origins and a young, enterprising Palestinian journalist can unite to ward off disaster.

A relentless and fast-paced thriller that moves from Egypt to Jerusalem to the Sinai Desert, that spans the millennia and involves Cathar heretics, Nazi prisoners, and modern-day suicide bombers, Paul Sussman’s The Last Secret of the Temple is a thrilling, roller-coaster adventure that brilliantly examines the participants on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Timely, important, and completely absorbing, it marks Paul Sussman as one of today’s great thriller writers.

This is what I say 

(with some help from Chatgpt) :

There’s a lot to take in with this title—perhaps too much. The sheer density of the plot made it difficult for me to stay engaged. At one point, I felt completely overwhelmed and unable to follow the story anymore.

That said, the book has great potential. The storyline is thrilling, reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel, full of historical intrigue and fast-paced mystery. However, the writing can be a bit confusing, and unless you're reading it consistently, it’s easy to lose track of the plot and characters. That’s exactly what happened to me, and eventually, I chose not to finish it.

So here’s my advice - if you're planning to read The Last Secret of the Temple, commit to reading it steadily from start to finish. Otherwise, like me, you might find yourself lost in its many layers and twists.

Citizen Girl by Nicola Kraus & Emma Mclaughin

 

Synopsis :

Working in a world where a college degree qualifies her to make photocopies and color-coordinate file folders, twenty-four-year-old Girl is struggling to keep up with the essential trinity of food, shelter, and student loans. So when she finally lands the job of her dreams she ignores her misgivings and concentrates on getting the job done...whatever that may be.

Sharply observed and devastatingly funny, Citizen Girl captures with biting accuracy what it means to be young and female in the new economy. A personal glimpse into an impersonal world, Citizen Girl is edgy and heartfelt, an entertaining read that is startlingly relevant.

This is what I say :

I can't remember when I read Citizen Girl.  It must have been about a year or more ago.

The main character is named Girl and she's quite a mess and being a mess lands her in many situation that could have been avoided if she's a bit more in control of her life. However, she's extremely nice and being nice is not necessary a good thing for Girl as she's gets a lot of taken advantage of especially at work.

I didn't quite like Citizen Girl but I completed it faithfully.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Synopsis :

Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .

Manchuria, 1908.
In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach—until, perhaps, now.

Meanwhile, a family who owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments but can’t escape the curse that afflicts them—their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. When a disruptively winsome servant named Snow enters their household, the family’s luck seems to change—or does it?

Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all she’s a mother seeking vengeance for her lost child. Hunting a murderer, she will follow the trail from northern China to Japan, while Bao follows doggedly behind. Navigating the myths and misconceptions of fox spirits, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur.

This is what I say :

This is the first book that I read recently that I completed within 1 week.   I actually saw the title in a bookstore but I managed to get the e-version.

It helps that the story is very interesting and captivating which certainly motivates me in my reading.  It also helps that I really make an effort to read this rather than to watch yet another K-drama.

I like the way it's written, which is from the perspective of Bao in one chapter and Snow in the next chapter.  I also like that while both these characters were focusing on different matters, the whole thing come together after a while and we are able to see the whole story and I was actually pretty excited when Bao and Snow met each other.

This is the second title by this author that I read, the first being The Ghost Bride which I read about 5 years ago.