The Little Bookshop By The Sea by Eliza J Scott #Review #Blogtour

Synopsis

Welcome to the Happy Hartes Bookshop in Micklewick Bay on the beautiful North Yorkshire Coast!
The Happy Hartes Bookshop has been a part of bookworm Florrie Appleton’s life as far back as she can remember. From the evocative smell of the books, to working alongside her beloved Mr H and
his black Labrador, Gerty, there’s no wonder she calls it her happy place.
Living in a town she loves, with her family and group of close-knit friends nearby, life is sweet. Until one dreadful Monday morning, when everything is turned upside down and things are changed forever.
Devastated, Florrie finds herself thrown into an unexpected situation with handsome stranger, Ed
Harte, owner of a pair of twinkly navy-blue eyes and a smile that has the knack of making mischief with her insides.
Despite being fresh out of a relationship, Florrie quickly finds herself falling for him, but she’s torn, reluctant to give her heart to someone who seems intent on not sticking around.
While her heart’s doing battle with her head, Florrie soon finds herself privy to a secret with Ed involving a heart-wrenching twist they could never have imagined.

Will love find a way to bring them together, or are they destined to go their separate ways?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09YMMBQCY

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YMMBQCY

My Review

The Little Bookshop By The Sea is a gorgeous cosy read, perfect for days when you need some total escapism from everyday life. The Happy Hartes Bookshop reminded me of a bookshop I once worked in so brought back so lovely memories.

I loved getting to know the characters within the pages and I could picture Micklewick Bay perfectly in my mind’s eye. The budding romance between Florrie and Ed was a joy to watch unfold, Florrie in particular is a wonderful, warm character and one I could imagine having in my friend’s circle.

The relationship between Florrie and Mr Harte warmed my heart, I don’t want to spoil the story but the tragic events that occur brought a tear to my eye.

Eliza’s books always end in such a way that you feel content with the ending, i can’t wait for the next book in this series where i am hoping we will revisit some of the wonderful background characters who we have only briefly met in this book.

A huge thank you to Eliza and Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on to this blog tour.

All about Eliza

Eliza lives in the North Yorkshire countryside with her family. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book/glued to her kindle or working in her garden, fighting a losing battle against the weeds.
Eliza is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and loves to write heartwarming romance stories with
relatable female characters. Her books will always have a happy ending.

Where to find Eliza

@ElizaJScott1 Twitter

@elizajscott Instagram

@elizajscottauthor Facebook

http://www.elizajscott.com/

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The Secret Couple by J S Lark #Review #Blogtour

Synopsis

Someone knows what they did…
A laugh.
A touch.
A lingering look.
A dead body.
An affair.
A crime years in the making.
Alison knows she’s in too deep. But behind closed doors, no one is who they seem…

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Couple-absolutely-psychological-jaw-dropping-ebook/dp/B09TNBZ8ZB

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Couple-absolutely-psychological-jaw-dropping-ebook/dp/B09TNBZ8ZB/

My Review

This is my first time of reading a book by J S Lark and definitely will not be my last. I adored The Secret Couple, for me it ticked all the boxes of what I like in a good book, it had suspense, unpredictability, love and realism.

Reading the prologue I wasn’t sure where the story was going, in fact I went back to it after I read the last page and it was like fitting a puzzle piece into the last bit of the puzzle. The story slowly pulled me in and at every twist and turn I thought that I might know what will happen next but loved the fact that I was wrong every time.

Alice and Luke are great characters, both have been effected by abuse in different forms and this is really what brings them together. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you and tell you too much about the story but, oh my goodness the ending… it literally had me shocked, I think I must have sat for about 5 minutes with my mouth open wide trying to process it, one of the best endings of a story I have ever read!

The Secret Couple needs to be on everyone’s ‘To be read pile’ a solid 5 star review from me, I’m off to download more of Jane’s books ⭐️

A huge thank you to Jane & Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto this amazing blog tour.

All about Jane

Jane is a coffee, chocolate and red wine lover, and a late-night writer of compelling, passionate, and emotionally charged fiction.
Jane’s books may contain love, hate, violence, death, passion, a little swearing, and an ending you are never going to forget.

Where to find Jane

https://www.facebook.com/JS-Lark-2288653328057315

http://www.janelark.co.uk/

Tweets by JaneLark

Dissatisfied by Ksenija Nikolova #Review #Blogtour

Synopsis

Who is to be blamed for a woman’s unhappiness?
Margot’s unhappiness is contrary to what you might expect, considering that she lives in Paris and is married to a handsome, successful man she loves. However, as time passes, she feels more certain about her emptiness and realizes how little time her husband Arthur has for her. Finally, she decides to leave him, but then something changes. Not only does Margot not know her husband as well as she thought she did, but she also comes to see that she didn’t even know herself that deeply.
Margot’s life starts changing when she discovers countless new things about her marriage, which also reawakens old traumas.
But have these signs always been there?

Has Margot’s journey been waiting for her long before she became aware of it, and can her marriage be saved?
Margot is surprised to discover Arthur knew her much better than she ever thought possible.
‘Riveting … eye-opening … evoking the quest for happiness’ – Author Taryn Leigh
‘It lingered with me long after the pages had ended’ – Book Reviewer

Purchase Link

http://mybook.to/Dissatisfied

My review

Dissatisfied is a beautiful thought provoking read, one that will stay with you for a long time after reading it, I’m sure this story will resonate with many people.

On the outside Margot has the perfect Parisian life, but she’s not happy, in her eyes her marriage is over and her unhappiness is caused by her husband. As the story unfolds you realise that Margot’s unhappiness is deep rooted, it’s within her it has nothing to do with her husband and marriage.

Slowly Margot rediscovers her happiness and in doing so relights her direction in life and her knowledge of herself.

Written in the form of diary entries addressed to her husband Dissatisfied is a captivating read.

Thank you to Rachel’s random resources and Ksenija for inviting me onto this blog tour.

All about Ksenija

Ksenija Nikolova is a Macedonian fiction author. She is the author of six books, and this is her second novel translated into English. Her work is also translated into Bulgarian and Russian.
She says people inspire her, and she thinks of art as an ice breaker that pushes boundaries and changes the way they see things.
The world has become very judgmental and ignorant, and Ksenija believes that writing stories that smash discrimination and stereotypes can make us better and happier.
Ksenija is currently working on a new novel she is very excited about. She is writing it in English, and she is enjoying every step of the process.

Where to find Ksenija

https://www.facebook.com/Ksenija-Nikolova-2022289431370813

https://www.instagram.com/ksenijanikolova/

https://twitter.com/Ksenijawrites

Publisher

https://www.facebook.com/kingsleypublishers

The Custard Tart Cafe by the sea by Isabella May #Blogpost #Review

Synopsis

Willow has opened a custard tart cafe at the end of a popular English seaside pier. Her unique and magical spin on the Portuguese pastel de nata has customers queuing outside the door to taste them.
Tiago’s grandparents are purveyors of The Real Deal: authentic custard tarts made in the Algarve region of Portugal, where his family have been lovingly baking them for centuries. When he moves to England for a new job and chances upon Willow’s wondrous wares, he is out for war. At least
that’s his intention. But when serendipity brings Willow and Tiago back together at the departures desk in Bristol airport – destination Faro – outrage isn’t the only spark that flies… Weston-super-Mare and Portugal are about to collide!

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/custard

My Review

Isabella’s books always make my mouth water, she creates deliciousness in a book!

The Custard Tart Cafe by the sea has a sprinkle of laughter, love and flaky pastry! Willow, the main character is delightful and I throughly enjoyed getting to know her, you can feel her excitement and joy as her dream comes to life. Willow’s passion for custard tarts stems from her holidays in Portugal where Pastel de Nata aka custard tarts is a delicacy, Willow creates her own versions with quirky fillings. I really liked Willow’s staff in the cafe they made me giggle, in fact there are some really colourful and quirky characters within the pages.

Tiago enters the story literally like a bull in a custard tart shop! He’s arrogant and harsh and seems to think that the fact that he’s Portuguese gives him the right to be downright rude about Willow’s take on a pastel de nata. To begin with I doubted that Tiago would be Willow’s love interest because he was so hard to like, but this slowly changes and leads to a perfect ending.

This is a perfect book to whisk you away for a few days, i for one hope that someone opens up a custard tart cafe as I’d definitely be first in the queue.

A huge thank you to Isabella and Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto this yummy blog tour!

All About Isabella

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalusia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the mountains and the sea. She grew up in Somerset on Glastonbury’s ley lines and loves to feature her quirky English hometown in her stories.
After a degree in Modern Languages and European Studies at UWE, Bristol (and a year working abroad in Bordeaux and Stuttgart), Isabella bagged an extremely jammy and fascinating job in children’s publishing… selling foreign rights for novelty, board, pop-up and non-fiction books all over the world; in every language from Icelandic to Korean, Bahasa Indonesian to Papiamento!
All of which has fuelled her curiosity and love of international food and travel – both feature extensively in her romcoms.
Isabella is also a Pranic Healer and a stillbirth mum.

Where To Find Isabella

http://www.isabellamayauthor.com/

https://twitter.com/IsabellaMayBks

https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMayAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/isabella_may_author/

Then and Now by R J Gould #Blogtour #Review

Synopsis

Sandy is about to retire following an illustrious career as editor of an upmarket fashion magazine.
Michael can’t retire, he thinks his work to explain the dangers of climate change is far too important.
Jonathan is considering retiring from running his fundraising consultancy.
These three were the best of friends at university before a tragedy wrecked their friendship. They haven’t spoken since.
Fifty years on, they arrange to meet at a reunion. Having reminisced about student life during a wild and self-indulgent era with its heady mix of free love, drugs and ground-breaking music, they share their life journeys since the Swinging Sixties – the successes and failures, the happiness and despair, and their optimism and fears for the future.
The reunion is drawing to a close. Dare they tackle the incident that tore them apart, an event that has brought guilt for so many years? If they are to have any chance of reconciliation they have to, but the clock is ticking

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/R-J-Gould/e/B006QLQZ8S

https://www.amazon.com/R-J-Gould/e/B006QLQZ8S

My Review

Whenever I get an email inviting me on to a blog tour for any book by Richard It’s a resounding yes! I can’t put into words how much I love Richard’s style of writing. The characters truly feel like people you know and their stories are very real but also captivating.

I always feel drawn into Richard’s books by the end of the first chapter, Then and Now was no different it’s about 3 friends who were all at uni together Sandy, Michael and Jonathan. They shared a past of colourful memories some good and some filled with guilt and regret. They haven’t seen each other for nearly 50 years, each of them have moved on with their lives but they’ve all reached a crossroads where decisions need to be made.

The joy I felt at the antics of the 3 characters over their reunion weekend was endless, it proves that 70 is definitely the new 50 and proves you can grow old very disgracefully!

A gorgeous ray of sunshine of a book 📚

Thank you, thank you, thank you Richard & Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for allowing me to take part in this blog tour.

All About R J Gould

R J Gould writes contemporary fiction about relationships, using a mix of humour and pathos to describe the tragi-comic life journeys of his characters. Then and now is his seventh novel, following The Engagement Party, Jack and Jill Went Downhill, Mid-life follies, The bench by Cromer beach, Nothing Man and Dream Café. He is a member of Cambridge Writers and a rare male member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Before becoming a full-time author he worked in the educational and charity sectors.
R J Gould lives in Cambridge.

Where to find R J Gould

http://www.rjgould.info/

https://twitter.com/RJGould_author

https://www.facebook.com/RJGouldauthor

https://www.instagram.com/rjgould_author

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6432126.R_J_Gould

A Cottage Full Of Secrets by Jane Lovering #Review #Blogtour

Synopsis

Cottage Two, Bracken Ridge Farm sits at the end of a pitted track, with the glorious Yorkshire moors stretching behind it.
Just a simple two up, two down, the cottage holds the promise of a new start for two very different women, but it is also full of secrets.
Fifty years ago, newly-wed Stella is relishing making the little cottage a happy home. But for all the lovingly handmade curtains, and the hot dinners ready on the table for her husband, Stella’s dreams of married life jar painfully with the truth.
Fifty years later, the cottage is a new beginning for Tamzin. Determined to get away from her previous life, she makes the move to the wild and vast Yorkshire countryside.
When Tamzin finds a sepia photo of a woman, Stella, standing in the cottage’s garden, there’s a sadness in her eyes that Tamzin recognises. As the cottage reveals more of its secrets, Tamzin is desperate to find out whether Stella got her happy ending. And as she gradually makes new friends, and starts to win over her mysterious neighbour Euan, Tamzin dares to dream about her own happy ending too…
Escape the rat race with this heart-warming, page-turning new novel from Jane Lovering. Perfect for fans of Julie Houston, Beth O’Leary and Kate Forster.

Purchase Links

https://amzn.to/3csGXdr

My Review

A cottage full of secrets is a beautiful heart felt read with just the right amount of reality, love & warmth.

This is my first read from Jane and definitely won’t be my last, A cottage full of secrets has two timelines centred around one cottage. The present day story focuses on Tamzin who has escaped a toxic relationship, the move to the cottage nestled in the middle of nowhere is her new start, a chance for her to heal and find herself. In doing this she gradually makes friends with Euan who owns the cottage next door. He begins the story as a very elusive character who is hard to read, as you are pulled deeper into the story its as if his layers are slowly unpeeled to reveal the true man underneath.

I so enjoyed getting to know Euan and felt I was watching a light slowly reignite within him.

The second time line is about Stella, set in the 1970’s, on marrying her father buys her the cottage as a wedding gift mainly to safeguard her against her new husband, a husband who is toxic. Everyone around Stella can see his true colours except for Stella herself.

Tamzin slowly uncovers information about Stella, the photos she finds show something in Stella’s eyes that remind her of herself. She makes it her mission to delve deeper and find out what happened to Stella.

Jane has amazingly portrayed every aspect of domestic abuse without this story being sad, it’s far from sad, it’s uplifting and powerful.

I can’t finish my review without mentioning Brack, Tamzin’s fox who she had rescued when he was a cub and nursed to health. What a lovely inclusion into the story he was, it’s made me look at foxes in a new light!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Jane & Rachel’s Random Resources for including me in this book tour.

All about Jane

Jane Lovering is the bestselling and award-winning romantic comedy writer who
won the RNA Novel of the Year Award in 2012 with Please Don’t Stop the Music. She
lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home. Her first title for Boldwood was published in September 2020.

https://www.facebook.com/Jane-Lovering-Author-106404969412833/

https://twitter.com/janelovering

https://bit.ly/JaneLoveringNewsletter

Home For Christmas by Camilla Isley #Review #Blogtour #Christmas

A Mother’s Secret by Caroline Finnerty #Review #Blogtour

Synopsis

A gripping, emotional book that asks the question: What does it take to be a parent?
Brand new from the bestselling author of The Last Days of Us In one split second, Aidan Whelan’s perfect world is changed forever when his wife Rowan and three-year old daughter Milly are involved in tragic accident.
Helena O’Herlihy and her husband James have been struggling in their marriage but a knock on the door telling her that James has been involved in a car crash, has Helena rushing to his side.
When Aidan and Helena bump into each other at Dublin City Hospital, they soon begin to wonder if it’s more than just coincidence that brought them there. Why were Rowan and James in the car together on that fateful morning?
Through their pain and tears, they form a bond as they try to piece together what really did happen on the morning of the crash.
As the lies begin to unravel and secrets are uncovered, can Aidan save what’s left of his family and Helena her marriage?

Purchase Links

https://amzn.to/3qP1UHZ

My Review

What a beautiful and heart wrenching story A Mother’s Secret is, I think I felt every characters raw emotions throughout.

The book is written from two perspectives, Aidans, who is the husband of Rowan who tragically dies in the car crash and Helena’s whose husband was also in the car but amazingly lived. This brought so much depth to the story, each chapter alternates between the two characters and the fallout that the accident causes.

Rowan and Helena’s husband James are old university friends but haven’t seen each other in years, but Rowan has something she needs to tell James, something that throws a grenade into all of their lives. My heart broke with the outpouring of grief from Rowan’s children, it felt so real and as if I were a fly on the wall.

A Mother’s Secret pulls you in and holds you until the last page it will stay with you long after you read the last line.

Thank you to Caroline & Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on to this lovely blog tour.

All About Caroline

Caroline Finnerty is an Irish author of heart-wrenching family dramas and has published four novels and compiled a non-fiction charity anthology. She has been shortlisted for several short-story awards and lives in County Kildare with her husband and four young children. Her first title for Boldwood The Last Days of Us, was published in June 2021.

Where to find Caroline

https://www.facebook.com/carolinefinnertywriter

https://twitter.com/cfinnertywriter

https://www.instagram.com/carolinefinnerty/

https://bit.ly/CarolineFinnertyNewsletter

Finding Edith Pinsent by Hazel Ward #Review #Blogtour

Synopsis

A moving story of love, loss and friendship that breaks and uplifts your heart. Netta Wilde has a task to complete.
She’s agreed to go through the late Edith Pinsent’s diaries and possessions personally. The problem is, she’s been busy sorting out her own life. But she’s in a better place now. She’s free of her manipulative ex, has a new love in neighbour, Frank and has reunited with her kids.
What better time to begin Edie’s story?
But the path to discovery is not easy.
There are missing diaries to contend with, boxes of memories to uncover and revelations that turn everything on its head. Revelations that make Netta question if her own life really is sorted.
Delving deeper into Edith’s history, Netta is overtaken by a need to revisit her own past and put things right, but to do that she has to find the two people who once meant everything to her.
As her two challenges intertwine, Netta realises that Edith had a purpose for her. One that she must fulfil
Bit by bit, the house yields a lifetime of secrets and the real Edith Pinsent begins to emerge.
But will it be the Edith everyone thought they knew?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B095PS1J46

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095PS1J46

My Review

I don’t know where to begin this review as I absolutely adored Finding Edith Pinsent, it’s beautifully written in such a clever way. This is the second book in the Netta Wilde series but can be read as a stand alone.

The chapters swap between the story of Netta in the present day & Edith from 1942 to 2017. In Edith’s will she instructed her nephew to interview prospective buyers for her house and choose the right person who could comb through her journals where she documented every detail about her life. The person would uncover many secrets along the way.

I loved finding out about the two women, although their lives had some similarities the contrast between the 1940’s and present time was captivating. Edith’s life was bright, colourful and adventurous, and a breath of fresh air, boy did she live her life to the full! She had lots of twists and turns in her life story, some of which made me laugh out loud, some that broke my heart but all of them made this book addictive.

Netta’s part in the book is just as enthralling, she is such a relatable character, and one you feel as if you’ve known forever. Although I hadn’t read the first book in the Netta Wilde series which focuses on Netta’s life, I could piece together her past from the snippets that unfolded in her chapters. In reading Edith’s journals Netta makes the decision that there are parts of her past she needs to revisit. This is when she goes in search of Claire & Doogie, both of these characters are so real to life and I could picture them in my mind. I adored (sorry, but I could use the word adored in every sentence relating to this book!) Doogie and his and Netta’s story is just so bittersweet.

This is a must read and will stay with me for a long time, I am currently reading number 1 in the series Being Netta Wilde as the withdrawal symptoms were too much!!

Huge thank you to Hazel & Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto this beautiful blog tour.

All About Hazel

Hazel Ward was born in inner city Birmingham. By the time the city council packed her family off to the suburbs, she was already something of a feral child who loved adventures. Swapping derelict
houses and bomb pecks for green fields and gardens was a bit of a culture shock but she rose to the occasion and grew up loving outdoor spaces and animals.
Strangely, for someone who couldn’t sit still, she also developed a ferocious reading habit and a love of words. She wrote her first novel at fifteen, along with a lot of angsty poems, and was absolutely sure she wanted to be a writer. Sadly, it all came crashing down when her seventeen-year-old self
walked out of school in a huff one day and was either too stubborn or too embarrassed to go back.
It’s too long ago to remember which.
Against all odds, she somehow managed to blag her way into a successful corporate career until finally giving it all up to do the thing she’d always wanted to do. Shortly after, she began to write her debut novel Being Netta Wilde.
Hazel still lives in Birmingham and that’s where she does most of her writing, although she spends a lot of time in Shropshire or gadding about the country in an old motorhome. Not quite feral anymore but still up for adventures.

Where to find Hazel

https://hazelwardauthor.com/readers-club/

https://www.facebook.com/hazelwardauthor

https://twitter.com/hazelward

https://www.instagram.com/hazel.ward

Christmas Surprises at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett #Blogtour #Review

Synopsis

Christmas is a time for love, laughter, families and friends, and in Mermaids Point, everyone is getting ready for the festive season.
For Nerissa and Tom, this will be their first Christmas as a couple, but making sure they have time for each other, whilst blending their families, will take some careful planning. What festive traditions will they make their own?
Laurie and Jake are flat out running Laurie’s seafront café, packaging up orders of mince pies, sausage rolls and other delectable Christmas goodies, as well as finding time for Jake’s journalism.
But when Jake’s mum offers them an unexpected gift, their plans are turned upside down.
Alex can’t help but be charmed by beautiful and talented Ivy, but he’s still recovering from his ex-wife’s betrayal and has a secret life he’s not ready to share with anyone yet. But as the Christmas spirit starts weaving its magic, Alex may find himself ready for love sooner than he imagines.
For Andrew, nothing is more important than family. As friends and family gather beneath his roof it’s a time for reflection about what the future might hold.
As far as Nick is concerned, pop sensation Aurora Storm is the ‘one that got away’. After they shared
a brief holiday fling, he has been thinking about her ever since. Is Christmas the perfect time to finally reach out to her, or is love at first sight just in fairy-tales?

Purchase Links

Amazon

My Review

I was so excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Christmas Surprises at Mermaids Point, I love the Mermaids Point series, it’s like coming home!

It’s always lovely to revisit a series and catch up with the characters. Christmas at Mermaids Point is an epilogue to Summer kisses & Autumn Dreams, but gives you a sneak preview into the next two books in the series.

This is a a lovely short novella and perfect for a quick Christmas fix that also gives you a lovely insight into old faces and the promise of what’s to come in the future of Mermaids Point.

A huge thank you to Sarah & Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto this lovely blog tour.

All About Sarah

Sarah Bennett is the bestselling author of several romantic fiction trilogies including those set in Butterfly Cove and Lavender Bay. Born and raised in a military family she is happily married to her own Officer and when not reading or writing enjoys sailing the high seas.

Where to find Sarah

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