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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes by Amy Miller takes us back to the fall of 1939 in Bournemouth, England. Audrey and Charlie Barton own Barton’s Bakery providing delectable delights for the people in their area. The bakery is a place where everyone knows they will be welcomed and have a chance to exchange a little gossip. War has caused many changes in their lives including rationing of food and clothing. Audrey’s brother, William heading off to fight with the British Expeditionary Forces. William is engaged to Elsie and she wonders if he will return home to her. Audrey’s stepsister, Lily shows up unexpectedly. Lily had been working as a typist at the Ministry of Information headquarters in London. Lily’s father, Victor is a controlling man who hit Lily. Audrey knows there is more to the story, but Lily is not yet ready to confide in Audrey. The Barton’s have taken in wounded French solider, Jacques who becomes fascinated with Lily. Audrey and Charlie have been unable to have a child of their own. Evacuees arrive needing homes, and Audrey takes in little Mary Lintin. Mary has been traumatized and does not speak. Audrey knows that the little girl needs their love and a safe haven. The family is worried when the fail to hear from William after he was posted over overseas. Life is a constant struggle, but they have their family, friends and hope. Will William return home to his family and fiancé? Can the Barton family help Mary to heal? What is Lily’s secret? Will romance bloom between Jacques and Lily?
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a lovely story. It starts in 1939 and continues through 1940. I found the book to be well-written with good characters. Audrey is a strong, thoughtful woman who cares about her friends and family. She will do what she can to help. Audrey is the glue that holds her family together. We get to experience the ups and downs of the Barton family and those connected with them. They have so little, but are willing to share it to help others. The story has family, secrets, loss, love, friendship, pride, delectable baked goods, and hope. They have hope that the future will be better. We get to see how the war changes people and their character. Women stepped up and assumed roles that had previously been held by men. Thanks to rationing, they had to get creative and inventive. The people from this era were strong and resilient. It was fascinating to learn about how rationing worked in Great Britain. It was very different from what Americans experienced. Readers get to read about their daily struggles. I admit that I had a little trouble getting into the story. Once I got into it, I was hooked. The author did a wonderful job at incorporating the events of the war into the story and I appreciate that she did not just make this a feel-good book. The characters experience loss and have their share of troubles as well as happy moments. Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a heartwarming story. I am ready to continue their story in Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes.
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a lovely story. It starts in 1939 and continues through 1940. I found the book to be well-written with good characters. Audrey is a strong, thoughtful woman who cares about her friends and family. She will do what she can to help. Audrey is the glue that holds her family together. We get to experience the ups and downs of the Barton family and those connected with them. They have so little, but are willing to share it to help others. The story has family, secrets, loss, love, friendship, pride, delectable baked goods, and hope. They have hope that the future will be better. We get to see how the war changes people and their character. Women stepped up and assumed roles that had previously been held by men. Thanks to rationing, they had to get creative and inventive. The people from this era were strong and resilient. It was fascinating to learn about how rationing worked in Great Britain. It was very different from what Americans experienced. Readers get to read about their daily struggles. I admit that I had a little trouble getting into the story. Once I got into it, I was hooked. The author did a wonderful job at incorporating the events of the war into the story and I appreciate that she did not just make this a feel-good book. The characters experience loss and have their share of troubles as well as happy moments. Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a heartwarming story. I am ready to continue their story in Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes.
ilcosmodijess's review against another edition
3.0
Lettura piacevole, ma niente di indimenticabile.
I personaggi risultano alquanto anonimi, le vicende sono pressoché prevedibili.
Ho trovato interessanti le descrizioni dei vari attacchi ed è stato un “piacere” vedere la guerra dal punto di vista dei civili.
La trama è interessante, ma per tutto il libro ho atteso che accadesse qualcosa, il che mi ha un po’ lasciato l’amaro in bocca.
I personaggi risultano alquanto anonimi, le vicende sono pressoché prevedibili.
Ho trovato interessanti le descrizioni dei vari attacchi ed è stato un “piacere” vedere la guerra dal punto di vista dei civili.
La trama è interessante, ma per tutto il libro ho atteso che accadesse qualcosa, il che mi ha un po’ lasciato l’amaro in bocca.
noveldeelights's review
5.0
Once again, you find me reviewing a book I wouldn’t normally pick up but I was swayed by the words “bakery” and “wartime” because weird as it sounds, stories set in World War II always seem to intrigue me. If like me, the word “romance” gives you the heebie-jeebies, let me tell you that while there is some of that going on here, it’s not the be all and end all of this tale. So please don’t let that put you off!
Charlie and Audrey Barton run a bakery in Bournemouth when war breaks out in Europe. Charlie wants to sign up to fight but is rejected as his bakery plays an important part in the war effort and for some people bread is the only food they’ll get. I love that the story centres around this bakery and its status in the community as I admit, I never really realised its value.
Audrey wants nothing more than a child of her own and her family around her. But then her brother William goes off to fight and everything changes. When Audrey’s stepsister Lily arrives unexpectedly and Audrey takes in Mary, a young evacuee, life will change forever. Because Lily has a secret and Mary doesn’t seem to talk.
This is such a wonderful story that shows the other side of war. It offers everything you could possibly want. Love, loss, secrets, family and friendships. We get to know these characters who are desperately trying to survive with what little they have. I feel the author truly showed the community spirit that was so important in those days by, for instance, coming together and somehow managing to create a lovely wedding day, seemingly out of nothing.
Charlie and Audrey have to be incredibly inventive to keep coming up with cakes in the middle of rationing when products they’d normally use are suddenly unavailable. It also shows how the world changed when women stepped up and took over jobs that used to be for men only.
I felt all these characters were extremely likeable and I warmed to them all quite quickly. With a war raging and family members away fighting for months, unable to send news, it’s hard to imagine that life must go on somehow. And in doing so, these people showed amazing strength and resilience. War doesn’t just change lives, it also changes people and some will realise they’re stronger than they thought.
This is the first book in the Wartime Bakery series and I absolutely loved every minute of it! Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a sometimes heartbreaking, yet also truly heartwarming and uplifting story and I honestly can’t wait to read more about the Barton family and their friends.
Charlie and Audrey Barton run a bakery in Bournemouth when war breaks out in Europe. Charlie wants to sign up to fight but is rejected as his bakery plays an important part in the war effort and for some people bread is the only food they’ll get. I love that the story centres around this bakery and its status in the community as I admit, I never really realised its value.
Audrey wants nothing more than a child of her own and her family around her. But then her brother William goes off to fight and everything changes. When Audrey’s stepsister Lily arrives unexpectedly and Audrey takes in Mary, a young evacuee, life will change forever. Because Lily has a secret and Mary doesn’t seem to talk.
This is such a wonderful story that shows the other side of war. It offers everything you could possibly want. Love, loss, secrets, family and friendships. We get to know these characters who are desperately trying to survive with what little they have. I feel the author truly showed the community spirit that was so important in those days by, for instance, coming together and somehow managing to create a lovely wedding day, seemingly out of nothing.
Charlie and Audrey have to be incredibly inventive to keep coming up with cakes in the middle of rationing when products they’d normally use are suddenly unavailable. It also shows how the world changed when women stepped up and took over jobs that used to be for men only.
I felt all these characters were extremely likeable and I warmed to them all quite quickly. With a war raging and family members away fighting for months, unable to send news, it’s hard to imagine that life must go on somehow. And in doing so, these people showed amazing strength and resilience. War doesn’t just change lives, it also changes people and some will realise they’re stronger than they thought.
This is the first book in the Wartime Bakery series and I absolutely loved every minute of it! Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a sometimes heartbreaking, yet also truly heartwarming and uplifting story and I honestly can’t wait to read more about the Barton family and their friends.
sarahs_bookish_life's review
5.0
I don’t read many books in this genre and when I read a book as wonderful as this one it makes me wonder how many fantastic reads I’m probably missing out on.
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes was a book I literally could not put down. I started it on a Sunday afternoon and didn’t put it down until I finished it. At 260 pages it was a relatively quick read. This is actually one of those books though that no matter how long it is, it isn’t quite enough as I loved every minute of it and I didn’t want it to end. The great thing is though that this isn’t the end as it’s the first in a new saga and I can not wait for the next one.
Being set in the war time I knew this was probably going to be quite emotional at times. Set in Bournemouth, the area doesn’t come under the constant attack like places like London do but it still suffers from some.
The story mainly focuses on the people at the Barton family bakery. What a fabulous place to set a story. It was so interesting to find out the part that bakers played in the war. Even though ingredients were limited, I couldn’t stop my mouth watering at the thought of freshly baked bread as well as the other goodies that was baked there.
Audrey has to my favourite of the characters. She’s a bit like a mother hen as she appears to be the go to person when in need. I thought she was so brave. Even when at times she wanted to break down she keeps going and makes sure she is a pillar for everyone else to lean on. Reading of Audrey’s life it really gives you an insight into what life was back then and the uncertainty of people going off to fight and to whether they would come back or not. It covers so much of what I would expect to see in a book set in that era with the added bonus of some stand out characters.
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a heartfelt and truly wonderful read. A story that you will easily lose yourself into. I know that icing on cakes will especially make me remember this book fondly. A book where the story and characters will stay with you for a long time to come. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes was a book I literally could not put down. I started it on a Sunday afternoon and didn’t put it down until I finished it. At 260 pages it was a relatively quick read. This is actually one of those books though that no matter how long it is, it isn’t quite enough as I loved every minute of it and I didn’t want it to end. The great thing is though that this isn’t the end as it’s the first in a new saga and I can not wait for the next one.
Being set in the war time I knew this was probably going to be quite emotional at times. Set in Bournemouth, the area doesn’t come under the constant attack like places like London do but it still suffers from some.
The story mainly focuses on the people at the Barton family bakery. What a fabulous place to set a story. It was so interesting to find out the part that bakers played in the war. Even though ingredients were limited, I couldn’t stop my mouth watering at the thought of freshly baked bread as well as the other goodies that was baked there.
Audrey has to my favourite of the characters. She’s a bit like a mother hen as she appears to be the go to person when in need. I thought she was so brave. Even when at times she wanted to break down she keeps going and makes sure she is a pillar for everyone else to lean on. Reading of Audrey’s life it really gives you an insight into what life was back then and the uncertainty of people going off to fight and to whether they would come back or not. It covers so much of what I would expect to see in a book set in that era with the added bonus of some stand out characters.
Heartaches and Christmas Cakes is a heartfelt and truly wonderful read. A story that you will easily lose yourself into. I know that icing on cakes will especially make me remember this book fondly. A book where the story and characters will stay with you for a long time to come. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
jilljemmett's review against another edition
4.0
This book really lived up to it’s name. There were lots of Christmas cakes and tons of heartaches.
I enjoyed the backdrop of the bakery. It was fascinating to see how they dealt with the rations. I was also surprised at how important the bakery was during the war. They were given special privileges, such as Charlie being exempt from the war, because they had to feed people.
This was such a heart wrenching story. Pretty much everything that could go wrong to a town during the war happened to these people. A house was bombed, people were lost at war, and even a suicide. All of these things brought tears to my eyes, because they were so realistic. These were real problems that people faced during the war.
This story wasn’t so much about Christmas, though they gathered for Christmas at the end. They couldn’t decorate the town because the lights would have drawn attention to them during the air raids. But they were still able to have a happy Christmas at the end.
This book isn’t something I would typically read because it was so sad, but I enjoyed the writing. This is a good Christmas war story.
I received a copy of this book on NetGalley.
I enjoyed the backdrop of the bakery. It was fascinating to see how they dealt with the rations. I was also surprised at how important the bakery was during the war. They were given special privileges, such as Charlie being exempt from the war, because they had to feed people.
This was such a heart wrenching story. Pretty much everything that could go wrong to a town during the war happened to these people. A house was bombed, people were lost at war, and even a suicide. All of these things brought tears to my eyes, because they were so realistic. These were real problems that people faced during the war.
This story wasn’t so much about Christmas, though they gathered for Christmas at the end. They couldn’t decorate the town because the lights would have drawn attention to them during the air raids. But they were still able to have a happy Christmas at the end.
This book isn’t something I would typically read because it was so sad, but I enjoyed the writing. This is a good Christmas war story.
I received a copy of this book on NetGalley.
leona_omahony's review
5.0
Family saga type books are my go to books when I want a break from psychological and crime thrillers . Therefore I was very excited to read the blurb for this book as I knew it was right up my street . If like myself you like this genre then you will love this .
Set in Bournemouth in the 1940's Audrey and Charlie Barton have a family bakery business which is at the heart of the local community . They may not have lots of money but the kindness and love they have for their family and friends is greater than anything money can buy . They are at he heart of the family and when Audrey's half sister comes to say nursing a dark secret they are there for her . When war breaks out Audrey's brother William goes to fight and leaves behind his beloved family and fiancée Elsie. Wanting to help more with the war cause Audrey and Charlie take in an evacuee who clearly is troubled by something and Audrey is determined to get to the bottom of it . Christmas is coming and the Barton's want all their loved ones to be together for Christmas . Will things work out for everyone ?
This is an absolutely brilliant family saga and one which I can highly recommend. A perfect read for these colder nights curled up with a nice cup of tea ! Already I am so looking forward to book 2 !
My thanks to Bookouture via Netgalley for the ARC. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.
Will post reviews on Amazon.UK and Amazon.Com on publication day.
Set in Bournemouth in the 1940's Audrey and Charlie Barton have a family bakery business which is at the heart of the local community . They may not have lots of money but the kindness and love they have for their family and friends is greater than anything money can buy . They are at he heart of the family and when Audrey's half sister comes to say nursing a dark secret they are there for her . When war breaks out Audrey's brother William goes to fight and leaves behind his beloved family and fiancée Elsie. Wanting to help more with the war cause Audrey and Charlie take in an evacuee who clearly is troubled by something and Audrey is determined to get to the bottom of it . Christmas is coming and the Barton's want all their loved ones to be together for Christmas . Will things work out for everyone ?
This is an absolutely brilliant family saga and one which I can highly recommend. A perfect read for these colder nights curled up with a nice cup of tea ! Already I am so looking forward to book 2 !
My thanks to Bookouture via Netgalley for the ARC. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.
Will post reviews on Amazon.UK and Amazon.Com on publication day.
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