Folly by Alan Titchmarsh

The chapters in the book alternate between the past (from 1949 onwards) and the present (2007-8).  

The story begins in 1949 when 5 friends - Leo, Mac, Richard, Harry and Eleanor - all attended Oxford University.  

In the present day in Bath, Jamie Ballantyne (grandson of Harry) works in the family business as a auctioneer.  Artemis King (grand-daughter of Richard) works in their family business buying and selling works of arts.  Artemis, known as Missy, has just returned to Bath from America.  

For years there has been a feud running between the Ballantyne and King families.  Jamie and Missy want to be together but unknown history between the families keep them apart.  They both separately begin to find out information about the past, the feud and the implications to them and to their families.  

This is the first Alan Titchmarsh book I have read.  I was not really sure what to expect from the story, but found it enjoyable and well written.  

Stand By Me by Sheila O'Flanagan

After leaving school Dominique Brady begins working as a waitress in burger bar.  There she meets Brendan Delahaye a young builder with aspirations to start his own building company.  

After a very short time Dominique founds that she is pregnant and she and Brendan quickly marry.  After giving birth to their daughter Kelly, Dominique suffers from post-natal depression.  She receives a lot of support from Brendan's family and over time begins to feel better.  In the meantime Brendan's business has been growing and he becomes a very successful businessman.  The Delahayes become rich and famous.  

Suddenly one day everything falls apart and Dominique has to find a way to get through all the bad publicity and re-build her life.  

I have previously read 'Destinations' by this author and I have 'How Will I Know', 'Better Together', 'My Favourite Goodbye', 'The Perfect Man' and 'Dreaming of a Stranger' on my bookshelf.  

Shadow Kill by Chris Ryan

John Porter and John Bald, both ex SAS men, are called up by the Intelligence Service to take a trip to Sierra Leone.  There they are to find and extract Ronald Soames a former SAS Commanding Officer, who has been overseeing security at a diamond mine.  Rebel forces are overtaking the country and it is no longer safe for Soames to remain there.  

When they find him, Porter and Bald discover that Soames has his own agenda and 'extra work' he has been undertaking and does not want to be extracted, he wants to get back to the diamond mine.  

I have read a few Chris Ryan books.  This one was perhaps my least favourite as the story takes place over just a few days and there was a lot of continued fighting and shooting.  The first one I read was 'The Watchman' which I thoroughly enjoyed.  

In a Cottage in a Wood by Cass Green

Nothing is going well for Neve.  She has split from her boyfriend and is currently living with her sister, brother in law and their children.  Her job isn't going very well and one night on her way back home from a party she bumps into a young women called Isabelle on Waterloo Bridge.  

Isabelle is wearing just a dress on a really cold night.  Neve offers her money for a bus home, but Isabelle insists that Neve takes a parcel from her and then she jumps off the bridge into the icy water below.  

A couple of weeks later Neve receives a letter from a Solicitor asking her to make contact.  Isabelle has unexpectedly left her cottage to Neve.  With nothing else to do and nowhere to go Neve heads to the cottage.  Neve begins to learn of Isabelle's poor mental health.  The cottage has bars at all the windows as Isabelle was very scared.  Strange things start to happen to Neve in the cottage, perhaps it wasn't all in Isabelle's mind.  

This is a really gripping story with a number of unexpected twists and turns.