#BlogTour #BookReview The Little Village of Happiness by Holly Martin #TheLittleVillageOfHappiness

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fall head-over-heels in love with the beautiful new novel from bestselling author Holly Martin and let The Little Village of Happiness warm your heart and make your spirits soar.

Willow McKay needs a fresh start. Her recent break-up may not have left her heartbroken but it’s certainly wounded her pride. Desperate to escape the whispers and stares of her town’s gossips, an advert offering homes in a picturesque village in the grounds of a majestic castle on the Cornish coast sounds like just what she needs. Without thinking twice Willow applies for a cottage and packs up her life for the village of Happiness.

But when Willow arrives she finds a crumbling ruin and ramshackle cottages, nothing like the pretty picture the advert had boasted. It seems Happiness was too good to be true. That is until she meets the incredibly handsome estate manager Andrew Harrington…

His passion for restoring the village to its former glory is contagious and soon they are working together to bring happiness back to Happiness. And as sparks fly between them Willow can feel herself falling. But Andrew is holding something back.

Can Willow risk her heart again? And will they succeed in transforming the old village to its original beauty before it’s too late?

Get swept away to the sun-kissed Cornish coast with this gorgeous love story, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Miranda Dickinson and Lucy Diamond.

published by Sunshine, Seaside & Sparkles

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

Just blooming delightful!! One of those books that you totally lose yourself in and a book set in Happiness that just brings oodles of happiness to the reader!!

Willow is in need of a new start in life! So when she sees an advert for a rent free cottage in an idyllic location,she can’t say no! The village (Happiness) is trying to revive itself so are giving people the opportunity to live there and hopefully like what they see! She’s a bit shocked on first appearances as all doesn’t seem to what it is meant to and she soon wonders what she’s let herself in for! But she’s a positive kind of soul and soon throws herself into village life and ends up being a great help to the estate manager, Andrew, who she gets on with well from the start!

He shares her positive outlook on life and it’s no wonder they click! I love them together and they bring out the best in one another, and the best in others! There’s great touches of humour between them and he soon finds himself opening up to Willow about things he normally doesn’t like to share.

The sense of community is second to none in this book. As they try and revive the fortunes of the village it gets everyone of all ages pulling together and I loved the extra effort that Willow and Andrew put in to the whole project. They realise it’s the little things that matter to people and just putting a smile on their faces becomes a big fun project!

Willow is a force to be reckoned with and just doesn’t seem to run out of ideas for getting things moving and although there are a few spanners thrown in the works at times, she always has that optimism that everything will work out for the best.

Loved it!! Hope there’ll be a return visit to Happiness soon!!

★★★★★

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#BookReview Meet Me at the Art Cafe by Sue McDonagh #publicationday

About the book

Highly recommended. 
Would you take a chance on a bad boy with a leather jacket and a vintage motorbike? 
That’s the question single mum Jo Morris has to ask herself when she collides with local bike mechanic Ed Griffiths on a rainy Welsh hillside. Working at the Art Café, Jo hears the gossip and is all too aware of Ed’s reputation. 

But whilst he’s certainly no angel, there is something about Ed’s daredevil antics that Jo can’t ignore. And as she gets to know him better and watches the kind way he deals with her young son Liam, she begins to wonder – is there more to this ‘bad boy’ than meets the eye? 

Published by Choc Lit

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

iTunes

Kobo

Google Play

Nook

MY REVIEW

Back to the Art Cafe and it is just as wonderful as the first visit – check out Summer at the Art Cafe  if  you missed it! – and I just adored every aspect of this book! The setting, the characters, the predicaments they found themselves in… it just all worked to make for such a wonderful reading experience and I’m already hoping that there’ll be more visits to come in the future as the characters are people you want to check on every now and then to see how life is treating them!

In this book we follow Jo, who works at the Cafe with Lucy, and is a single mum to the rather adorable and very cheeky Liam!  ‘Out of the mouth of babes’ sums him up perfectly and his comments and quips had me laughing out loud many a time!  And Jo is one of those women who gets on with things and is rather partial to a bit of upcycling, and goes everywhere by bike! You soon find out why she’s so wary of travelling by car and as her past is revealed you can’t help but feel sympathy for her.

And one day she meets Ed, in not the most glamorous way, and is drawn to him immediately despite her concerns about his reputation in the local area.  Him and his motorbike are well known in the village as he and his family have been there for years, and as a attractive bloke he seems to have a ‘love em and leave em’ kind of attitude! But you soon find out there’s reasons for his attitude too, and it’s clear the pasts of Jo and Ed have shaped them and how they react to certain situations.

When Jo is in the right place at the right time to become a hero, it is only too clear that her and Ed are going to be spending more time together and I just loved their relationship, and the bond he builds with Liam too! Not many blokes are willing to take on a child but he seems to relish the role as a surrogate dad!

I just loved every minute spent with Jo, Ed and Liam and despite the obstacles they found themselves facing there always seemed to be time to enjoy life – and a special word for Jo’s neighbour Beryl!  She certainly knows how to enjoy life and she’s another character you can’t help but adore!

Fabulous!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

#BookReview I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

About the book

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an irresistible story of love and empowerment about a young woman with a complicated family, a handsome man who might be “the one,” and an IOU that changes everything

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” But since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It’s simply not in her nature to say no to people.

So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Sebastian scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. And Seb agrees, until the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?

Published by  Bantam Press

Purchase Links

hive.co.uk

waterstones

MY REVIEW

I read this via The Pigeonhole app.

There’s something about a Sophie Kinsella book that just makes you relax and enjoy the art of reading! It feels relatable, it’s witty and it throws up a number of situations that has you wondering how you’d react in the same position, and that’s how this book made me feel although I did have a few issues with some of the characters!! But then we can’t expect everybody to be ‘perfect’ and not have annoying traits in real life so why should books be the same!

Fixie is the main character and she is one of those people in life who seems to enjoy fixing things for other people but does it to deflect from problems she’s having with her own life, and the biggest problem for her is that she doesn’t seem to have much belief in herself. From the way her own family treat her – her brother and sister are 2 of the most self centred people I’ve ever read about! – to issues she has with her job, she always seems to run herself down. So when she saves a strangers’ laptop in a coffee shop and he – Sebastian – offers to owe her a favour this leads to a series of events that might start to show Fixie that she IS worth more than she’s getting and maybe she needs to start believing in herself more and put herself before others.

I enjoyed the story line featuring Seb as he was dealing with his own problem of being able to move on after losing a loved one, but I did find myself screaming at Fixie at various times with how she was letting others treat her. It was just so frustrating and detracted from the story of her trying to save the family shop, especially in this age of online shopping, and how the ideas of others (her brother and sister mostly!) had no real place in helping to keep the business running! And as for the character of Ryan, don’t get me started on him!!

An entertaining read!

🌟🌟🌟

#BookReview Something To Tell You by Lucy Diamond

About the book

When Frankie stumbles upon an unopened letter from her late mother, she’s delighted to have one last message from her . . . until she reads the contents and discovers the truth about her birth. Brimming with questions, she travels to York to seek further answers from the Mortimer family, but her appearance sends shockwaves through them all.

Meanwhile, Robyn Mortimer has problems of her own. Her husband John has become distant, and a chance remark from a friend leads Robyn to wonder exactly what he’s not been saying. Dare she find out more?

As for Bunny, she fell head over heels in love with Dave Mortimer when she first arrived in town, but now it seems her past is catching up with her. She can’t help wondering if he’ll still feel the same way about her if he discovers who she really is – and what she did.

As secrets tumble out and loyalties are tested, the Mortimers have to face up to some difficult decisions. With love, betrayal and dramatic revelations in the mix, this is one summer they’ll never forget. 

Published by Macmillan

Purchase Links

hive.co.uk  £10.29

waterstones

MY REVIEW

I’ve always been a huge fan of Lucy Diamond, so always race to read her latest releases when they’re out, and in Something To Tell You it’s a story that felt very ‘grown up’ that focused on more serious issues and how the emotional impact of those impact people. There are a lot of characters that do take a while to connect with and keep up with who was who! But once you’re ‘in’ then I found myself really enjoying the story and seeing how all the different female characters dealt with the problems that they found themselves facing.

The Mortimer family are an extremely tight family unit, and are all together for the 50th wedding anniversary of Jeanie and Harry – life is going well for them all! But then a stranger appears out of nowhere and their cosy lives begin to crumble when the truth about the past is revealed.

Frankie is dealing with the loss of her mother last year, and when she finds a letter from her mother she is shocked with the revelations she reads. She just wants answers and the only person who can help her with that is Harry.

It was fascinating to see how the Mortimer children dealt with the news that their ‘hero’ father is fallible, and to Jeanie his wife too – the man she doted on wasn’t as perfect as she first thought. The way she deals with the news is understandable and adds some light relief to the story as she escapes the situation to let him face up to what he has done.

The brothers and sisters are all having problems in their own lives too and I enjoyed how it shows people re-assessing their lives at different stages – just when you think you’ve got life figured out there’s always a curve ball to throw you off course!

I think this story deals well with the drama and difficulty of family relationships after unexpected news and how it can affect your day to day life. It features the perils of online dating, abusive relationships, affairs and how a settled life can soon be upturned in an instant – all issues that can be so relevant in the society we now live in. I would have liked a bit more humour to balance out some of the heavier storylines, but overall I thought it was a book with plenty to keep you entertained and an intriguing mix of characters!

💮💮💮

#BookReview The Cafe at Seashell Cove by Karen Clarke #20booksofsummer

About the book

Welcome to the Café at Seashell Cove, where you’ll find irresistible home-baked cakes, smiling friendly faces – and maybe even a second chance at love…

When Cassie Maitland needs a holiday from her glamorous but stressful job in event management, she escapes home to gorgeous Seashell Cove, where her family’s cosy café sits perched on the cliffs above sparkling waves and golden sand.

But a lot has changed while Cassie’s been away: her parents have transformed their tired café into a welcoming haven, her friends Meg and Tilly have whole new lives, and old flame Danny’s twinkling eyes and winning smile make Cassie feel even more flustered than they used to.

Keen to throw herself back into local life, Cassie starts to run themed events – including a not entirely successful cat-café day, complete with dozens of felines. Luckily Danny is always around to lend a helping hand, and Cassie soon begins to wonder if her life in London was really all she made it out to be…

Could a new start in Seashell Cove be exactly what Cassie needs?

A heart-warming and hilarious read about friendship, belonging and seaside living. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson, Holly Martin and Jenny Oliver.

Published by  Bookouture

Purchase Link

Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

It always helps when you find yourself laughing at the antics of the characters from page one, and that is what I found myself doing with this book as Cassie returns home to visit her parents! Her parents are so proud of the life she has found herself in – working hard as an events planner – and are always imagining her living such a glamorous lifestyle. The reality is not quite that good and Cassie has returned home as she’s been fired and now doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life.

As she returns home to her childhood home, all the feelings she had for the idyllic setting return and she starts trying to help arrange events to help raise the profile of her parents cafe – even though while she has been away, they’ve done an amazing job in redecorating and bringing the cafe into the 21st century. And her efforts don’t exactly go to plan so her confidence takes a big hit!

I loved Cassie and her family – they live life to the fullest and don’t do normal! And while she is back in Seashell Cove she starts to reconnect with old school friends, Tilly, Meg and Danny. He was her schoolgirl crush and seems to be a jack of all trades as he’s helped out her parents and is currently helping her nan with her garden. And even though Cassie has recently split from city boy Adam, she is torn between the lifestyle she had that seemed to make her parents so proud, and a lifestyle of being happy and following her passions in life.

This was such a fun, fresh read and I’ve found another fictional area that I want to move too – alongside a new fictional boyfriend in Danny! I’ve not read anything from this author before BUT that will be changing as I’m looking forward to reading more from her!

                                         ☀☀☀☀☀

Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Cafe by Georgia Hill #bookreview

THE BLURB

Baking, broken hearts and beach weddings…it’s all happening in the gorgeous little seaside town of Berecombe this year!

Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café is struggling as a multi-national chain of cafés moves in on its territory. Despite baking up a storm in a bid to save it, Millie’s distracted by falling head over heels for the gorgeous, mysterious Jed.

As the seasons change in Berecombe, the loveable, quirky locals rally round Millie, and in return find their own happy ever afters. Millie’s delighted for her friends, but when she discovers Jed’s been keeping secrets, she faces a new dilemma – is it finally time to hang up her apron and start an exciting life somewhere new? Or is everything she’s ever wanted right under her nose, just waiting for her to reach out and take it?

Publisher;  Harper Impulse

Published;  11th January 2018

 

Quick Buying Links

Amazon UK

Waterstones

hive.co.uk – buy online and support your local bookstore

 

MY REVIEW

 

This is a delicious treat for all fans of all things romance and chick-lit! The 3 novellas have been brought together under this one title and it works so well and keeps you turning the pages to find out how life will treat Millie in her cafe with the arrival of a new big chain, and how her friends all pull together to help her out – and how some of those closest to her betray her!

Millie is such an easy character to embrace – she has worked hard in her parents cafe after losing them so tragically, and all those who visit the cafe have become like her family, along with her rather cute dog Trevor! Her cafe is the heart of the community so when that is threatened by a new venture opening in town, she has to come up with ideas to keep her cafe relevant and keep the customers coming through the door!

It doesn’t help that her head has been turned by a hunky new visitor to the town! Their friendship soon escalates and they seem like such a perfect couple, until Jed and his ‘secret’ is revealed and that puts a huge strain on the trust between them.

WE also get to follow the story of Dora who has had success in LA as an actress and is back in town. She used to go to school with Millie along with Mike who is directing a play in town – loved how eager Dora was to help out with the production and let feelings from the past resurface! And then there’s a story from Christmas featuring Jed and his brother and how once more the cafe is in trouble and Millie has doubts as to whether she is doing the right thing anymore.

This had everything I loved about a story – full of humour, a real sense of community, lovable characters (young and old!) and an easy going pace that just kept you reading!

Thank you to HarperImpulse and NetGalley for the e-copy in return for a fair and honest review.

Summer in San Remo by Evonne Wareham – cover reveal and review!

Happy Tuesday to you all! It is with great delight that I get to share yet another fabulous new release from the wonderful Choc Lit publishers – OUT TODAY!!!  And here is how it looks!!

THE BLURB

For fans of Sarah Morgan, Jennifer Crusie and Jenny Colgan. A fabulous read perfect for the summer!

Anything could happen when you spend summer in San Remo …
Running her busy concierge service usually keeps Cassie Travers fully occupied. But when a new client offers her the strangest commission she’s ever handled she suddenly finds herself on the cusp of an Italian adventure, with a man she thought she would never see again.
Jake McQuire has returned from the States to his family-run detective agency. When old flame Cassie appears in need of help with her mysterious client, who better than Jake to step in?
Events take the pair across Europe to a luxurious villa on the Italian Riviera. There, Cassie finds that the mystery she pursues pales into insignificance, when compared to another discovery made along the way …

Amazon UK  99p!!

Kobo  99p!!

Amazon US

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Evonne was born and brought up in Wales. After living in London for many years she has now returned to the Welsh coast where she studies history, writes and walks by the sea, when it’s not raining.

http://www.evonnewareham.com/

 

 

 

 

MY REVIEW

With the gorgeous cover promising a story set in spectacular scenery you are not disappointed when you step inside the world of Cassie Travers!  And what you get is the perfect romantic, summer read!!

Cassie lives in Bath and her life is busy, busy, busy! Her job as a concierge sees her facing requests for all kinds of help! But to find a husband by tomorrow?!  She’s not had that kind of plea before!!  And with things being tough financially, she needs to find a way to get this contract and complete the deal.  

She is keen to not mix business with pleasure after a very traumatic time with an ex who ended up ripping her off, so when an old school friend, Jake, ends up being her only option she has to take the plunge and forget how their lives took different paths and get reacquainted for work!  Jake has his own problems going on in his life, and he never really understood how he and Cassie never lived happily ever after as they were expected to way back when!  The more time they spend together for this assignment it soon becomes clear that they still  have feelings for each other and I found their relationship to be so warm and endearing – very flirty and fun too!

They then find themselves on the trail of solving 2 mysteries in San Remo – and who can blame them!! 

This was one of those stories that was just so easy to read and enjoy! The characters were so likeable and delightful and the settings added to the fabulous escapism that this book provided!

So if you are looking for the perfect beach/garden/sofa read for this summer, then look no further!!

Meet me at the Lighthouse by Mary Jayne Baker – Blog Tour – book review

THE BLURB

‘One of my top books of 2017… side-splittingly hilarious’ The Writing Garnet

’The day I turned 28, I bought a lighthouse and met the love of my life’

Bobbie Hannigan’s life in a cottage by the sea with her dog and her twin sister is perfectly fine … until she decides the logical thing is to buy a lighthouse and open a music venue with Ross Mason, the first boy she ever kissed.

Bobbie tries to be professional with Ross, but the happily-ever-after they’re working toward is too good to resist. That is until someone from his past crawls back to cause trouble. Can Bobbie look past the secrets Ross has been keeping from her? Or will the boy, the lighthouse and the dream all slip away?

Escape to the Yorkshire coast this summer with this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from Mary Jayne Baker!

Publishers – Harper Impulse

Publication Date – 30th June 2017

Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

Where to begin with this book?! Other than I am now considering buying my own Lighthouse in the hope that it comes with a Ross of its’ own!!  All the love for this book  that has kept me so entertained while reading it, and I even kept the neighbours entertained with my giggling as I sat in the sunshine chortling along with the exploits and thoughts of Bobbie, her twin sister Jess and the lovely Ross!

Everything seems to happen at once for Bobbi and none of it planned too – who else ends up buying a Lighthouse on their 28th birthday for £1 and meeting up with an old flame from school!  But this sets her on a path slightly different from her life as a teacher and it just feels right!  The chance to go into business with Ross to restore the once glorious Cragport Victorian Lighthouse, proves too good a chance to turn down – although in the cold light of day their doubts do start to sink in!! When are drunken decisions ever the right ones?!

But they both have an inner drive brought on my previous experiences and that helps them focus, along with the help of the community and it is a blast to see everyone come together to try and see their dreams through, although the road isn’t always a smooth one!

The characters in this book were all so charming and they were also hilarious!  The collective noun for a group of seagulls is now forever ingrained in my brain…..and it will be in yours too when you read it!!

It isn’t all fun and games as there are many times they are left to deal with jealousy and trust issues due to things that have happened in their pasts and this adds an intriguing element to the story.

I adored the setting, the various plot lines played along so nicely and at a great pace, and it was just a total delight of a read and I’m just hoping that there might be more to come from the Lighthouse in future!!

Thank you to Harper Impulse for the ARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.