I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Rosamunde Pilcher fans are going to love Susan Sallis’ enchanting and delightful tale, No Man’s Island.

Binnie treasures her serene and quiet life in the West Country, but when she hears news that her ex-husband has passed away, she cannot help but feel apprehensive about what the future will now hold in store for her. Fearing that the life she has built for herself and which she loves so much will no longer be within reach, Binnie’s future seems uncertain. However, little does she realise that fate has got other ideas in store for her and rather than the sad ending she had been envisaging for herself, she will end up finding the new beginning she has always wanted.

Nobody is more surprised than Binnie when she receives news that her husband has left her an island on the archipelago off the coast of Cornwall and the house he had grown up in. Binnie never imagined that her husband would leave her such a generous legacy. Binnie sets off to the island to figure out what she is going to do next, but on her arrival she is surprised as she finds herself immediately feeling as if she has found a place she belongs and somewhere she could easily call home. As she becomes involved with community life on the island, Binnie makes new friends and broadens her horizons, but she is also confronted by old memories and lingering shadows of her marriage.

As she begins to get her new life in order, Binnie finds herself discovering surprising revelations not just about her husband, but also about herself that threaten to change everything she had always taken for granted. As she forges forward with her new life, will Binnie grab this chance at happiness on no man’s island? Or will the secrets she uncovers convince her that this might not be the place for her?

A gentle, witty and warm-hearted read that is perfect for reading by the fire with a large mug of tea, No Man’s Island is the best kind of escapism. Full of eccentric and lovable characters, engaging drama, humour, pathos and warmth, Susan Sallis’ No Man’s Island is good old-fashioned storytelling at its finest.

Soothing, captivating and uplifting, Susan Sallis’ No Man’s Island is the perfect companion for dark and dismal autumn afternoons.

I am always a sucker for Cornish books and so enjoyed this one, I love the Cornish legends of history and pirates so a good read for me

Just couldn't get into this but I really wanted to. I loved the style of writing and even the storyline was fun and grabbed my attention. I just found the pace of it too quick and too many characters for me! I start to get confused when there are so many people mentioned and thats a shame because I think I missed out on enjoying a really good book!

Thank you Netgalley.

Though slow to start, this novel develops into the romance genre expected of this author, but with a touch of psychological thriller. The atmospheric island of the title is located somewhere off the coast of Cornwall and is one of a small group of islands inhabited by some interesting and unusual characters. On the death of her estranged husband Binnie inherits the island, his childhood home, at a time when she and her family are looking for a change. But what is the cave below the house used for? How exactly did her husband die? Is he really dead? This develops into a real page turner!

I had the same issue with this book as Sea of Dreams which I read and reviewed recently. The book is set in the modern day but the dialogue and characters read very much like the book is set in the past, around the 1930’s. This feeling didn’t leave for the duration of the book and niggled a bit. I like to get a sense of place from books I read and this one was jumbled. The characters do ridiculous things at times. There is a creepy old man, rambling, huge clues are dropped that he likely killed someone but definitely kept a body hidden from a coroner and the other characters see his behaviour as ok as he’s one of the islanders. Er no, just no. I did enjoy much about the book though. The author does a good job of bringing the setting to vivid life. I did enjoy some of the mystery elements, sort of like an Agatha Christie at times.

This story's setting and ethos are slightly dated. If you accept its retro quality, the characters are delightfully eccentric, and the setting is a dramatic backdrop for this story of life, love and secrets. The pacing is gentle, and you get to know the characters well. It is an engaging blend of drama, friendship, mystery and romance.

If you are looking for an insight into a time and way of life gone by, this book will take you there.

I received a copy of this book from Transworld Publishers via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A bit over the top at times but nevertheless a really good
read. Susan Sallis captures the islanders characters perfectly with a bit of Cornish intertwined.

A nice easy read to snuggle up with when you don't want anything too taxing, good characterisation and description of place. I enjoyed it and will definitely read more by this author.

Binnie is living her life in peace and quiet in the West country when she receives news her ex-husband has passed away.She also discovers he has left her an island in the archipelago off the coast of Cornwall. He grew up there. Binnie decides to take her family and go to the Island, a place she has not visited in years.What follows is a search for discovery for herself with a hint of mystery and even intrigue.
Susan Sallis, again manages to create a beautiful picture for my minds eye, with the island and the islanders. She shows us that Island living isn't always sun bathing and cocktails at six. There is hard work involved in it as well. Her characters, even in this book, are quirky and full of character, I do feel Susan Sallis is an expert in descriptive writing and characterisation as this is the second book where the characters jump of the page and make you want to know them and what eill happen to them This story is an atmospheric one too. With Binnie we are faced with trying to find out who her ex really was, because it truly seems on this island he was a different man than she knew.
Another great read for me from Susan Sallis and I, for one, appreciate that these books are coming back out into the world again. She is a talent that deserves to be read for decades.
Thank you to Transworld Books,Random Things Tours and NetGalley for the book.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Binnie inherits an island and decides to move her family there - Intriging mystery happens , neat ending.

I was drawn to this book because I’ve never read anything by this author before and because of the cover, but it’s definitely a case of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’! Sadly for me this book was dull, weak in its plot and I don’t say this easily just awful. The book is about what happens to Binnie the main character once she finds out her husband had died. This book seemed to go on and on for ever and should have ended a lot sooner than it did. Had I not been reading this book through Net Galley I wouldn’t have finished the book, It felt like a pure waste of my time and I would have given up but hate doing that. The plot didn’t seem to flow and there was many times throughout the book that I got lost and confused as to what was happening. I kept hoping that at some point the story would grab me but it just didn’t, the story just went on and on with no sense of purpose and at no point did the story improve or grip me. The plot was weak and unnecessary in parts. Sadly this book had no redeeming features and sadly there is nothing I can positively write about this book, even the ending didn’t redeem it or make what had gone before make any sense as to what was going on. I wasn’t quite sure if it was a romance novel or a murder mystery or just a mystery novel at times. The only reason I was even happy to pick up this book was that it was getting me closer to the end. In many ways it ended where it began and I was no further forward to understanding what the book was all about. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone and definitely the worst book I’ve read this year so far.

In the spirit of honesty and transparency with this review I will state up-front that I did not finish the book and stopped reading at 54% completion.

What I did read of No Man’s Island I initially found myself engaging with nicely, the plot was progressing to a point and there were elements of intrigue that I found myself curious and eager to uncover the truth of. Yet there wasn’t enough of a hook to keep me engaged properly. The story trails off from one incredulous event to the next in a drifting, wishy-washy fashion that never quite feels solid.

The initial setting of Binnies home and her meeting of key-character Daniel is quite a tale in itself and it was this aspect of No Man’s Island that drew me in. Who is this man and why has Binnie just saved his life? Are they connected in some way? When these questions are answered, they don’t quite satisfy the reader in a concrete way. Everything feels a little to convenient and haphazardly thrown together in a way that makes sense but doesn’t leave a feeling of fulfilment.

We’re quickly introduced to Dorrie – Binnies daughter and her boyfriend, Gabriel. It was here that I began to question the motives of the book. Gabriel has a serious gambling problem and no one has the spine to tell him that he’s wrong in his actions. Even when some serious consequences for his problems happen. The answer is to run away to Cornwall until issues with debt collectors blows over and goes away. It made the lead characters feel weak – an unappealing trait. Why are these supposed strong women pandering to such a serious problem? In align with this thought is that Binnie is swanning off to the island her ex-husband left to her to find out her feelings for him and to see if she still loves him? After having moved on with her life and raising their two children without him for 20+ years? I don’t think so!

As a main, driving character, Binnie was pleasant and I found myself enjoying reading about her and her quirks, but like much else as the story progresses she turns from an endearing character to one that falls a little flat. She starts No Man’s Island full of life and character – then she gets to Cornwall and starts becoming part of the life-style there and it all turns a little for the worse. Life-changing and Earth-Shattering events happen and are discovered on the Islands and it’s put down to ‘Oh that’s just (insert characters name) he’s just a bit of an odd-one.’ This and other explanations of major events that should have more impact but don’t, didn’t sit well with me unfortunately and it all led into a bit of a pile of ‘And then nothing had any lasting or meaningful effect.’ It made the story drag and feel like there was a lot of needless repetition via back-stories.

What kept me going with No Man’s Island for so long was the promise of a good plot supported by well written and quirky characters. Already mentioned is Binnie but supporting her is her immediate and extended family all of whom have their own unique personalities. Characterisation is certainly a strong point for Susan Sallis and those that feature in No Man’s Island are certainly filled with personality. They are a driving force in the novel and help to carry the other, lacking elements previously mentioned.

Summary
No Man’s Island is a low-intrigue level book with some wonderful descriptions and quirky characters, but didn’t have enough interest to it to keep me engaged until the end.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this, well written with absolutely great characters and also attention to detail. Loved it.

We lost power for two days so I read this book by flashlight and candles.

Having traveled to Cornwall (and a fan of Poldark), I read everything set in that region.

I did enjoy this, family mysteries and murder. I thought that it turned out as I had suspected. However, i would recommend it to someone who loves mysteries.

I simply wasn’t convinced by this book. It started with the mystery of the man with amnesia, but disconcertingly quickly we were introduced to feckless Gabriel and his gambling issues.

Which leads me on to the other issue I had with this book. Why has nobody actively told Dorrie that Gabriel is a waste of space? And why does Binnie think she needs to find out if her ex husband loved her or if she loved him? These female characters are weak and that’s not appealing.

There are some great descriptions of island life but on the whole I found this book rather dull. I’ve read and enjoyed others by this author but this one just didn’t do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

An enjoyable book with an interesting plot that has a rather old fashioned feel to it. Not a page turner for me but I did really enjoy the depiction of the characters as we got to know them.

Susan Sallis is a new a author for me. So happy to have discovered her thanks to NetGalle.y. No Man's Island is lovely and if you're a Maeve Binchey fan, I think you'll enjoy it.