#BookReview THE FALL AND RISE OF RONNI FAIRWEATHER by GINA HOLLANDS

ABOUT THE BOOK

When going back to your roots is the only way forward …

Raegan Kent-Walters is living the high life. Thanks to her husband’s salary, she enjoys the elite Surrey housewife existence of luxury holidays, exclusive gym memberships and skinny lattes.
But then the high life comes crashing down, and, whilst reeling from the discovery that her husband wasn’t the man she thought he was, Raegan is also confronted with the reality that she and her daughter, Sabrine, will have to make some major life changes.

So, out goes the state-of-the-art Range Rover, and in comes the beat-up old Transit van to take them away; back to Raegan’s roots in Yorkshire and the life she abandoned.
But perhaps by embracing who she used to be, Raegan can find the strength she never knew she had, building something unexpected – but truly special – to get her and Sabrine through to a brighter future.

PUBLISHED BY RUBY FICTION

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ebook/dp/B09N9K8Z1F/

Apple: https://smarturl.it/gqjjlb

Kobo: The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather eBook by Gina Hollands – 9781912550685 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

Nook:  The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather by Gina Hollands | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Google: The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather by Gina Hollands – Books on Google Play

MY REVIEW

I feel I’ve been on a real emotional rollercoaster with Ronni Fairweather in this story, and I loved every single minute of it!! It really does connect with the reader over the importance of reconnecting and finding hope in an unseemingly dire situation, and that determination and positive attitude was really inspiring and positive.

Ronni finds her perfect life crumble in front of her eyes as she learns the devastating news about her husband after his shock death. Her and her daughter, Sabrine, are left to pick up the pieces and try and start life all over again without all the trappings of money that they’ve become so used to, Sabrine especially.

What follows is a story that flits from the present to the past, as we get to understand more about Ronni and her background, her life with her husband and how she can try and move forward after hitting rock bottom.

Moving from affluent Surrey to her old stomping ground of Yorkshire, feels just like what Ronni needs to reconnect and reassess what she wanted from life, and often reality is a far cry from the dream. It’s a big change of lifestyle for her daughter too, but she seems to be more resilient than even she thought she was and it was wonderful to see these women flourishing by following their own dreams and taking control of their own lives.

I really loved this book. It showed the full devastating impact of secrets on other people, and how taking a step back can often be the push forward that people need to find their true happiness, free from the fakeness of trying to live to impress others and putting their own contentment at the fore.

★★★★★

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#GuestPost THE FALL AND RISE OF RONNI FAIRWEATHER by GINA HOLLANDS @ChocLituk @ginaholls #PublicationDay

Delighted to be with you today to help celebrate the publication day of THE FALL AND RISE OF RONNI FAIRWEATHER by GINA HOLLANDS!!    She’s here to share some personal thoughts about her new release! You’re going to want to read this one!! Links to buy are also included so scroll down and grab your copy NOW!
Over to you Gina…..

★★★

Release Day: The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather by Gina Hollands

I am more excited about the release of my new book, The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather, than I’ve ever been about a book release (and that’s saying something!). That’s because it was so long in the making and because it’s so different from anything I’ve written before.

There is romance, yes, but it’s more than that. It’s about independence, friendship and the resourcefulness of women. The main character thinks she’s got it all –– the successful husband, the beautiful home, the rich friends, the country club lifestyle, then something happens which means she has to start over by using her brain to survive. She returns to her roots and discovers the person she could have been all along, even though that’s the last thing she thought she wanted.

The setting isn’t glamorous or luxurious –– far from it. I wanted to show that how you judge any place is based on perception alone, and that great things can happen everywhere.

The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather started out life as a short story for a writing competition. A friend, who is also a writer, offered to critique it for me. Although I didn’t win (boo!), my friend saw something in it and suggested I work it into a novel.

A few months later, the day before Christmas Eve, I had an accident in my kitchen. No drunken, debaucherous or even slightly interesting story attached to that –– I fell over my own feet and ended up with a bleeding head and a broken wrist. Worse still, two days later I was due to fly out to Norway for a skiing trip with my family. It was touch and go whether I’d be allowed to fly, but I was and I did. There were plenty of limbs in plaster at the resort, but I was the only one to arrive that way.

While my family hit the slopes, I drank endless cups of tea and got to work on the novel. It was probably for the best –– I’m a useless skier (see earlier comment about falling over own feet). It took another 18 months before the book was finished, edited and ready for the world to see.

The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather is a very personal book to me, but it’s a book for everyone. I want people to read it, feel uplifted and say to themselves: if Ronni can do it, so can I.

★★★

About the Book:

When going back to your roots is the only way forward …

Raegan Kent-Walters is living the high life. Thanks to her husband’s salary, she enjoys the elite Surrey housewife existence of luxury holidays, exclusive gym memberships and skinny lattes.

But then the high life comes crashing down, and, whilst reeling from the discovery that her husband wasn’t the man she thought he was, Raegan is also confronted with the reality that she and her daughter, Sabrine, will have to make some major life changes.

So, out goes the state-of-the-art Range Rover, and in comes the beat-up old Transit van to take them away; back to Raegan’s roots in Yorkshire and the life she abandoned.

But perhaps by embracing who she used to be, Raegan can find the strength she never knew she had, building something unexpected – but truly special – to get her and Sabrine through to a brighter future.

Buying links: 

Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Rise-Ronni-Fairweather-inspirational-ebook/dp/B09N9K8Z1F

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/the-fall-and-rise-of-ronni-fairweather/id1599267388

 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-fall-and-rise-of-ronni-fairweather

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Gina_Hollands_The_Fall_and_Rise_of_Ronni_Fairweath?id=8a1VEAAAQBAJ

About the Author:

Originally from Yorkshire, Gina now lives by the sea in West Sussex with her husband and son. When she’s not working in her job in marketing and PR, or writing her latest book, Gina can be found dancing everything from lindy hop to salsa, shopping (she loves clothes far too much for her own good), eating out (she hates cooking far too much for her own good), or relaxing, which generally involves reading a book someone else has written or indulging in her new hobby of learning to play the piano. She has a sneaky suspicion she may be a musical genius in the making, but isn’t about to give up the day job just yet.

Social media links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginaholls/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginahollands 

Website: www.ginahollands.com

★★★

#GuestPost YOURS, TRUDY by GINA HOLLANDS #PublicationDay @ChocLituk @ginaholls #YoursTrudy

Hello!  And it’s a very happy Publication Day to GINA HOLLANDS today with the release of the fabulous YOURS, TRUDY!  And she gets to share the day with you as she’s taking over my Blog page today to share some background to the book!
Over to you Gina………

Release Day Post: Yours, Trudy by Gina Hollands

Yours, Trudy is my seventh published work but first ever romcom! Friends and family have been encouraging me to write a comedy since I started writing books because I like to inject humour into my work emails and letters and texts to friends and family. Despite that, it took me years to take the plunge and write a comedy because being funny works best when it’s spontaneous. However, once I realised that the funniest moments tend to happen in everyday conversations and communication, I found that the words flowed. A lot of the material in Yours, Trudy is based on real events and communication I’ve encountered in my job and family life. It’s therefore fair to say that my own life was a huge inspiration in Yours, Trudy.

Trudy isn’t me, however. Although there are similarities between us – she’s a wife and mum who’s trying to juggle family life with a career – she’s a huge watersports enthusiast. I love the water but am accident prone, so getting in a kayak would be a very bad idea indeed! Unfortunately for Trudy, she herself had a serious accident several years before the story begins, which has thrown her life off course and even led to the breakdown of her marriage to the gorgeous and loveable Carlton. She feels she’s failed on many levels and in trying to be everything to everyone, has ended up letting down those she loves most. Luckily, Trudy has some great friends – Mary and Aisha – who are based loosely on two of my real-life friends! Female friends are really important to many women, including myself, and I wanted to explore this theme in the book.

Although Yours, Trudy is a romcom, there are several tender – and even darker – moments. In order to get light, there must be shade, of course. The most touching scene, I think, is where Trudy is remembering her late father in a conversation she’s having with her mum. It’s at that moment she realises that she might have misunderstood her mother. It’s a real turning point in their relationship.

I set Yours, Trudy in the seaside town of Worthing, where I live. I love Worthing and wanted to put it ‘on the map’ by making it the setting of my story. It’s such a vibrant, diverse place that in my opinion doesn’t get the credit or attention it deserves. It often sits in the shadow of nearby Brighton and that’s a shame. That’s not to say Worthing is the most beautiful place on earth – although our sunset has been voted one of the best in the world! – it’s more that it’s interesting. There are some great, quirky little shops, restaurants and bars, and The Dome is the best cinema I’ve ever been to. We’re lucky to have such a vivid cultural scene with theatres, art galleries and eateries. I love it here and Trudy’s pretty happy here too, although she’s always dreamed of having a sea view, which she hasn’t managed yet. If she steps outside her front door and cranes her neck, she can see the front of M&S though! In the book I mention several real places in Worthing, including The Connaught Theatre and even the little pizza van that parks on the seafront.

I really hope that readers get a laugh out of Yours, Trudy, champion her as a character and fall a bit in love with Carlton. Feedback so far has been that it is ‘relatable’ and I hope more readers find that. Being a woman in modern society who has a family and responsibilities is not easy. In fact, it’s grossly underestimated how challenging and exhausting it can be. Women often carry the lion’s share of the household’s responsibilities even when they, too, work full-time. It’s time society woke up to this and readdressed the balance. It is my wish that Yours, Trudy can, even to a small degree, bring this issue to light, and do so in a fun and entertaining way.

🐾🐾🐾

About the Book:

How many positive words and exclamation marks can you fit into the space of one email?

A lot is the answer, if you’re Trudy Drinkwater. As ‘Head of People Happiness’, her cheery emails are carefully written to boost the morale of her ‘fellow finned friends’ at Pink Fish Web Design. Yay!

But, in reality, there is very little Trudy has to say ‘yay!’ about in her home life. Her marriage is all but over, she’s in a near constant battle to make her two chicken nugget loving teens eat anything vaguely nutritious, and the days when she and her husband were young lovers with big dreams seem very far away.

Can Trudy keep up the chirpy pretence of her day job, or does she really need a new start and a second chance at true happiness?

Buying links: 

Kindle UK: https://amzn.to/3y0c5us 

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3dpZOaq

 Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Q3dqzi 

Nook: https://bit.ly/3aiMjr3

About the Author:

Gina Hollands was born and bred in Yorkshire, England. She has worked in public relations for 15 years, since graduating from Oxford University with a degree in modern languages. Gina now lives on the West Sussex coast with her husband and young son. When she’s not writing Gina is likely to be participating in her other hobby – dancing, be it salsa, jive or lindy hop.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginahollands/

https://www.instagram.com/gina_hollands/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginaholls

#GuestPost #PublicationDay LITTLE VILLAGE OF SECOND CHANCES by GINA HOLLANDS @ChocLituk

A huge delight today to be hosting the wonderful Gina Hollands for a guest post on publication day for the fabulous LITTLE VILLAGE OF SECOND CHANCES!

So without further ado, I’m handing the reigns over to Gina so she can share her thoughts on what inspired her to write this book!

🌷🌷🌷

Little Village of Second Chances is my first book with Choc Lit and it’s wonderful to see it come to life. It’s set in the picturesque fictional village of Wetherstone-on-Ouse, which lies just outside of York. The story starts when city-girl Sarah Pickering arrives in the village with the aim of persuading the locals to sell up so that the company she works for can build a new road. Her neighbour, the surly yet ruggedly attractive Shay McGillen, whose property is number one on Sarah’s target list, has no intentions of moving from the place that’s given him a much-needed new start after a tumultuous few years. The pair has every reason to despise one another, but a dramatic event forces them together, making them face their fears and futures, and the possibility that the road to happiness may actually involve each other.

I was inspired to write a village-based romance as I live in a village myself and love the community spirit, the cosiness of the local pub, the friendliness of the village shop and the eccentric and colourful nature of some of the characters who make it the place it is. I brought all these elements into Little Village of Second Chances. Although Shay and Sarah are the main characters, I really enjoyed writing the scenes where they interacted with some of the sub-characters, as it was fun bringing these comedic aspects into the story and bringing in some local dialect.

I chose a Yorkshire setting as, although I now live in Sussex, I am originally from a small town near York. My previous books have all been set in locations which might be considered traditionally more glamorous, including Tuscany, Iceland, London and Montenegro, but a country setting in the middle of a harsh winter can be just as romantic, albeit with wellies and mittens!

In Little Village of Second Chances, both Sarah and Shay have turbulent pasts they’re escaping from and while it was important for me to show that they’d never forget certain things that happened to them, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t get another shot at love – quite the opposite! I hope it gives readers hope that whatever has happened to them in the past, and however despondent they may feel as a result – there’s always a second chance at happiness.

Like most writers, I’m an avid reader, and gobble up books of all genres from thriller to fantasy, romance to cosy mystery, but there’s one reason alone that I read and that’s for pure escapism and to feel good. I hope that readers will experience the whole spectrum of emotions when they read Little Village of Second Chances but ultimately that it will leave them with an overriding sense of wellbeing. I love finishing a book that makes me feel warm and fuzzy (okay, maybe not so much with a thriller – that’s where the romance comes in) and my intention with Little Village of Second Chances is to do just that. And I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say it has a happy end!

🌷🌷🌷

About the book

Surely everyone deserves a second chance?

Ex-fireman and edible flower farmer Shay McGillen has plenty of reasons not to give Sarah Pickering even one chance when she turns up in his small Yorkshire village. After all, she is only there to try and convince him and his fellow villagers to sell up so her company can build a bypass. If Sarah thinks she can make Shay give up his farmhouse and his business, she has another thing coming!

But when an unexpected blizzard leaves Sarah stranded in Shay’s home, he soon realises that they are far more alike than he could have ever imagined – and perhaps both of them deserve a second chance …

published by https://www.choc-lit.com/

Buying Links:

 Kindle: https://amzn.to/3eindsi

 Kobo: https://bit.ly/2AQUSL7 

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2Yj8dox

About the Author:

 Gina Hollands was born and bred in Yorkshire, England. She has worked in public relations for 15 years, since graduating from Oxford University with a degree in modern languages. Gina now lives on the West Sussex coast with her husband and young son. When she’s not writing Gina is likely to be participating in her other hobby – dancing, be it salsa, jive or lindy hop.

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginaholls 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginahollands/

🌷🌷🌷

#BookReview LITTLE VILLAGE OF SECOND CHANCES by GINA HOLLANDS

ABOUT THE BOOK

Surely everyone deserves a second chance?

Ex-fireman and edible flower farmer Shay McGillen has plenty of reasons not to give Sarah Pickering even one chance when she turns up in his small Yorkshire village. After all, she is only there to try and convince him and his fellow villagers to sell up so her company can build a bypass. If Sarah thinks she can make Shay give up his farmhouse and his business, she has another thing coming!

But when an unexpected blizzard leaves Sarah stranded in Shay’s home, he soon realises that they are far more alike than he could have ever imagined – and perhaps both of them deserve a second chance …

PUBLISHED BY CHOC LIT

PURCHASE LINKS

MY REVIEW

This was one of those books that seems to be perfect to read on a sunny or rainy afternoon! I loved the characters of Sarah and Shay, and the village community feeling was what we all hope to find wherever we live!

Sarah has just moved to the village with seemingly double intentions! She’s escaping something sad from her past, but also hopeful of helping the locals see fit to accept the plan of her company who want to build a massive bypass. She knows they are being offered very good money to move away so can’t understand why they are all so reluctant to comply and move away!

Shay is a flower farmer who has lived in the village for sometime, and does all he can to keep himself to himself.  He has also suffered tragedy in his past and you get the sense he feels guilty and is happy to punish himself by staying lonely.  His first encounter with Sarah isn’t the start they both wanted, but when the weather gets in the way they are forced to spend more time together and they soon find a common connection as they open up to one another, and it was really touching to see how their past shaped how they see the world now, and that by talking to one another about things helped them find a little happiness in the world.

But things never run smoothly, and when the bypass company start to play hard ball we get to see how the truth comes out about Sarah and her role and Shay finds himself feeling betrayed by how he opened up to her.

There is a great balance between the light and dark subjects in this book, and I loved how you could relate to both characters and the way they have faced up to tragedies in their lives, and how we need to go easy on ourselves at some point!

★★★★