I know all you’ve been reading on here is reading updates, but I will post soon, with more ‘me’ news.
However, one of my things recently has been walking.
I’m walking with purpose every day, and have completed 102 days of walking 45 mins to an hour every day.
I’m documenting it on my Instagram stories, daily, too, for my accountability.
It’s done wonders for my mental health, and inspired me to join some work friends on a sponsored walk.
10km in the name of Cancer Research UK.
Personally, we as a family have been affected by Cancer in many ways, seeing people going through treatment, losing loved ones, and also seeing survivors.
I’m taking part with many of these cherished ones in mind, but especially for my big sis, Kiki, who bravely fought her battle with Cancer, with grace and dignity, until the last breath she took, earlier this year.
1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Every single pound you donate makes a difference to Cancer Research UK’s groundbreaking work, so please sponsor me now.
June has been the craziest of months. There has been a LOT going on at school, what with the preparation for next year, report checking, and some other situations that made it quite tough.
And reading is my go to to relax, but even so, I was so exhausted most nights, I fell asleep before getting much reading done! Ooops!
Still, I read, but I also went to the MeetCute Book Festival near Elstree on June 28th, which was an amazing place to celebrate all things romance fiction, and I was even invited to speak there! Such a great day!
Now, back to this month’s reads/listens. There were ARCS and Audiobook listens…
Yes, yes, yes to another fabulous Desi love story, filled with second chances, grumpy sunshine, lots of Italy, and hints of Mombasa! Laila Rafi crafts beautiful, heartfelt stories, and Seven Summers Later is no different. Safiya is back home in London after a painful divorce. She is nursing heartbreak, but it’s not her Kenya-based ex-husband that she can’t quite forget. Her self-confidence has eroded over six gruelling years in a loveless marriage, cementing the way she was made to feel by a close family member seven years ago. Slowly, she picks herself up hesitantly, dipping her toes back into the career she had always loved, but had lost, because of marriage: interior design. Murad has worked diligently to achieve his current position. He has a successful career, cars, a swanky penthouse, and money, but his life is lacking in love and romance. Because no one quite lives up to the love of his life, who slipped away seven years ago. A chance encounter brings them both together, once more, where they are not only forced to work together, but live alongside one another in a small village in Italy to renovate a crumbling villa. You can feel the emotions from the off, the hesitancy to even want to communicate with one another, as both Safiya and Murad struggle with the situation, but also with coming to terms with feelings they thought had long since been buried. The story centres around them, but also explores the themes of family honour and expectations, both of which can weigh heavily on the shoulders of many, taking chances and believing in oneself. I was even happier to read brief glimpses of characters who featured in Laila Rafi’s previous book, First Comes Marriage, a couple with links to the same family. Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC.
Another of my audiobook reads/listens. The story centres around three friends who own a business called Perfect Proposals. Lainey, Tash and Millie are childhood friends who went into business together to help couples create the perfect proposal moments. They are the ideal team, really, with Lainey being in a solid relationship with Cameron, the perfect poster couple for happily marrieds, and Millie, who is a die-hard romantic. Tash brings realism to the outfit, with a more laissez-faire approach to romance, as she is not one to be tied down herself. The story is told from the perspectives of all three women, each with a parallel storyline. Still, the focus is on Lainey, who discovers that they appear to be setting up a proposal for a couple, led by the female half… and the male half may be her husband. There is a lot of wariness, as she battles with whether she should confront him or not, and tries to convince herself that it is a coincidence that the man is called Cameron, with the same surname and job title as her own husband. I won’t tell you more, but though it sometimes took a while to get going, and I sometimes wanted to throttle her for not asking him straight out, the three friends hash out a plan to find out the truth, in the most spectacular way! The narrator was really great with accents, and I enjoyed listening to this.
Another enjoyable Emily Kerr story! Kat Fisher (yes, that is her real name) is a librarian. She feels she is stereotypical, a bit serious, not noticeable to anyone other than her regular library visitors, and unattractive to the opposite sex. So a chance match on a very specific, local dating app, SO OX develops into a relationship that shows promise… until it doesn’t. Leo Taylor, an ex-police officer, is minding his own business when he visits the library. However, he finds himself the recipient of her tongue, albeit in a hushed tone, as she chastises him for leaving his belongings everywhere, including his shoes, on the seat opposite. Somehow, they become embroiled in a bit of a covert investigation, when Kat finds herself, well, kat-fished by a smooth-tongued suitor. You know when you can feel the chemistry from the off? That is Kat and Leo, only they can’t quite get their act together, even though everyone around them seems to sense the attraction! There are some fantastic side characters, including a retired CEO, Doris, who now has a penchant for smutty books and even has a spicy bookstagram following! I enjoyed this read! Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC
I’ll start by saying that I haven’t read books 1 and 2 in the series yet, and though it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this story, I 100% will be going back to catch up on the backstories of the others. Over The Sea To Skye centres around Valentina Wynter, a newly single parent, on her way to Skye from Inverness with her son, Barnaby, for a hopefully relaxed summer, after a fraught few months following the break-up of her marriage. Well, that is the plan, but you know what they say about the best laid plans, and all that? Valentina is the oldest of three adopted sisters, and the only one with no link to her biological family. So, being in Skye, where her two sisters, Ess and Thea, live, is the closest she can get to being with people who love her. On the train journey, they end up seated with American tourists, Xander and his nephew Macdonald, who are here for some heritage searching and a bit of a break as well. What follows over the summer isn’t quite relaxing, but dealing with an unwell ex, needy, overbearing in-laws, a whole new branch of family, plus a sudden attraction to a certain Pittsburgher is undoubtedly worth it! I loved Xander. He showed a depth of feeling and emotion that is rare in men, and his relationship with his nephew is exemplary. Valentina and Xander are a partnership I was rooting for from the off! Yay for #ValeXander! Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC.
If you want a book that will have you giggling on the sunlounger while beside the pool, then I think you have found your holiday read! A rom-com that gives so much com that I found myself laughing out loud at several points! Connie is a singer, stuck in a rut. She’s still grieving the loss of her mother and desperately trying to fit into the hole her mother left in the singing world. but nothing is going right. Her manager, Nancy give a last chance opportunity to her, to travel to Benidorm for a week, replacing a popular tribute act, with the Dollz as her warm-up act. The moment we meet the Dollz, you know they aren’t going to let any part of this working break be boring! Their outlandish makeup and outfits, sudden group ‘slut drops’, and pure party girl mentality are a touch too far removed from Connie’s usual life. And the journey starts with explosive moments, including Connie making quite an impression on the passenger sitting next to her, and not in the most positive of manners! There is drama, some funny situations and plenty of twists as Connie seems to mess up all her opportunities, both with her career and potential lovelife. The Dollz; yeah, maybe a tad too over the top, but they certainly never let anything get boring… And Connie? She gets there, in the end! Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Tally is a woman in her late twenties who runs a herb farm. It has always been a part of her family, first belonging to her grandma, then her mother, before Tally buys it outright from her mum. It’s a tough gig, especially as she has caring responsibilities for her mother, unwell with an unknown illness, but she loves being with the plants, and her guinea pigs, and especially Big Pig, her sow. She ends up with Zeb, a marketing consultant appointed by her mother, tagging along as she goes about her life. A chance visit from an up-and-coming band who want to use the farm to shoot videos gives Tally the chance of some more income, much-needed funds to continue her small, struggling business, and under the guidance of Zeb, she hesitantly agrees. But there are lots of things going on, with thinking about a certain band member, as well as looking out for her mother, and trying to quell feelings that are building about someone else. It’s a slow-rumbling romance, with a slightly darker moment when secrets are uncovered; however, it’s a lovely summer read. A gorgeous story filled with love, a twist of mystery and a lot of hope. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
I’ve listened to another audiobook, and it’s the third in the Auschwitz trilogy by Heather Morris. This is another beautifully told story of the three Mellor sisters, who made a promise to their father on his deathbed, when they were mere slips of girls, to always look after each other—a promise they upheld, and then some. The three sisters go on quite an emotional, and often tragic journey through the war, separated then reunited in the most awful of places; Auschwitz. But their journey doesn’t end there. They separate once more for two to go on another massive, eventful trek to Israel, to help create a homeland for the Jewish community. Though all is thankfully well for them at the end, this book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions: sadness, fear, terror, hope, and confusion. Why the confusion? Because of the mention of Gaza and Palestine within the book. What hit me was that this story of persecution, and an entire community just looking for a safe space, echoes what is happening right now in Gaza, and yet this time it is the same people who suffered, causing suffering to another innocent community. True, it is a whole new generation, but I know of many older Jewish folk who are horrified, feeling and hearing the echoes of what they experienced, happening all over. Still, this time the persecutors are their own. The stories from Auschwitz and many other concentration camps, the death marches, losing unnecessary Jewish lives… Stories uncovered and retold many years later, and yet we are seeing the horrors to innocent Gaza residents in real-time, and still it’s not stopping. It’s not about religion, it’s about one-upmanship, and no consideration for lives destroyed so horrifically. Sorry to get political in a review; it hit a nerve.
Reading the blurb after the title pulled me in and made me eager to read this book. Now, was it worth it? We have Tash, an author whose first novel, a female-centric dystopian piece, has reached the level of fandom that it is being commissioned for adaptation as a TV series. Only the producer wants it to be ‘sexed-ed up’ more for the screen, as well as a significant change to the ending. Tash battles with this idea, as it is so far from her ideals and the book’s concept. Threatened with the loss of any say, she teams up with an Intimacy Co-ordinator, Caleb, celebrated in his field for helping to create, well, hot scenes! Here, we end up with a bit of a grumpy-sunshine workplace romance, as Tash battles with her more visceral feelings towards her work partner and her strong feelings about her book, which is going to be ‘butchered’ for the screen, losing all integrity. An easy-to-read summer romance, but considering the title The Dirty Version, any action is very much closed-door! Many thanks to NetGalley and Verve Books for an ARC.
Published 26th June, 2025
The first of my July Book tour arcs. I’ll be featuring the full review on 2nd July! And it’s a cricket-based romance, so given my family obsession with the sport, it just had to be read!
I listened to this title as I walked, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Gina and Nick, two pastry chefs with a history and each with a thirst to win the Golden Whisk Award. I really enjoyed this story of two individuals who are so perfect for each other, but with huge barriers, such as misconceptions that they struggle to clear up. Set with the backdrop of Vienna at Christmas time, it’s a perfect Christmas read(listen)!
It was a pleasure to leap back into the world of Emmy Lake and her fellow Magazine colleagues as they clamber through the murky end-of-war years. We are treated to weddings, a relocation, and a fair few tragedies, as well as some mystery as Hester disappears for a while. I loved this last installment, and AJ Pearce really helps the reader get a feel for what many families on the home front would have felt like, nervously awaiting news of their loved ones in Europe, as war sounds like it is ending. There are less of the Dear Miss Lake letters, as Emmy gets engrossed in helping women and families trying to trace their family members who are prisoners of war, and that is not without emotion. An enjoyable addition to the series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.
Published 3rd July, 2025
An early July Blog tour review will be up for this one, so be patient!
Today we have the lovely Jo Lyon’s most recent book, Girls Just Want To Have Fun featuring on the blog!
The Blurb
She never expected to find herself in Benidorm. But when life gives you lemons, add a shot of tequila…
Connie’s singing career isn’t exactly going to plan. On a final warning from her agent and failing every big audition, she’s desperate for a fresh start. So when she lands a last-minute gig in Benidorm (of all places) she jumps at the chance – despite knowing she’s completely out of her depth.
Thrown into the wild world of the Dollz, a cocktail-fuelled girl group who love glitter as much as they love drama, Connie struggles to fit in. Then there’s Matteo – the brooding, annoyingly attractive local who seems to be everywhere she turns, throwing her further off course.
As she stumbles through a week of sun, surprises and absolute chaos, Connie has to decide: is this rock bottom, or can she find her own way to shine?
If you want a book that will have you giggling on the sunlounger while beside the pool, then I think you have found your holiday read! A rom-com that gives so much com that I found myself laughing out loud at several points! Connie is a singer, stuck in a rut. She’s still grieving the loss of her mother and desperately trying to fit into the hole her mother left in the singing world. but nothing is going right. Her manager, Nancy give a last chance opportunity to her, to travel to Benidorm for a week, replacing a popular tribute act, with the Dollz as her warm-up act. The moment we meet the Dollz, you know they aren’t going to let any part of this working break be boring! Their outlandish makeup and outfits, sudden group ‘slut drops’, and pure party girl mentality are a touch too far removed from Connie’s usual life. And the journey starts with explosive moments, including Connie making quite an impression on the passenger sitting next to her, and not in the most positive of manners! There is drama, some funny situations and plenty of twists as Connie seems to mess up all her opportunities, both with her career and potential lovelife. The Dollz; yeah, maybe a tad too over the top, but they certainly never let anything get boring… And Connie? She gets there, in the end! Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Hello, tail end of May! The time sure is flying, isn’t it?
Yup, it’s the end of May, and my Whitsun week half term, most of which has been taken up writing the end of year reports, as well as walking and reading.
Did I write? Nothing more than the reports, unfortunately…
Now, back to this month’s reads… I even started listening to Audio books as I walk, this month, and that has been a revelation! I realised that with such a huge list of ARCS to read, my physical TBR pile would never lessen, so I found some of the books on my shelf and listened.
In fact, I read 10 books and listened to 8 this month. Pretty productive, eh?
I have just listened to The Midnight Library as an audiobook, and this was the first book I have listened to, ever! Was it a good choice? Absolutely! I was immersed in the story about Nora, a woman who thinks her life is worth nothing. Taking an attempt to end it all spirals into a visit to The Midnight Library, aptly named because that is when she slips from consciousness. Instead of finding peace in her own The End, Nora is confronted with many, many choices. The chance to wipe her regrets away. It was both intriguing and uplifting by the end. You know how we end up thinking ‘what if?’ regarding certain situations? This is Nora’s chance to remedy some of those regrets. Nora’s character is battling with low self-esteem and what appears to be depression. But this brilliantly composed journey of hers shows that there is light at the end of most tunnels. I really enjoyed listening to this.
Having read the Dubrovnik Book Club last year, I was thrilled to read this book by Eva Glyn. And the added plus for me was that one character was someone I had met before! Set in Santorini, we meet Zina and Lambros, a young married couple who have shifted back to Zina’s family farm, away from Athens, to support her widowed mother and give Lambros a chance to balance his wellbeing and mental health. He busies himself with building the farm back to what it used to be, and Zina creates a luxurious space where retreats can be held. Her first is one for writers, hosted by a famous author who writes under a pen name and several unpublished writers looking to be tutored and guided by this person. A colourful group of people congregate for a month-long retreat, including Karmela, whom we met in a previous book. There are secrets, love stories, relationship difficulties, and much more tackled within the story, all set in a beautiful rural part of a country well-known for its tourism attraction beauty. I enjoyed this read and was fully invested in the story, wanting to know what would happen to all the characters at the end! Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for an ARC.
Well, what can I say, except Kay Bratt has done it again, with another brilliant book for the ever-growing Harts Ridge series! Two storylines work in parallel as we follow Taylor and her husband to Mexico to attend the wedding of her stepfather, Ellis’s daughter, and we are hot on the trail of Lucy, Taylor’s youngest sister, who has run away, again, leaving her son Johnny with her family. Though Taylor is supposed to be taking a break from anything crime-related, she ends up slap bang in the middle of a double kidnapping case, which is connected to the wedding they are there to attend. Meanwhile, Lucy is on the run, and ends up meeting folk, some kind, some unsavoury, and she ends up back in a place she thought she’d never return to. I won’t go into more detail, but the ending was more than satisfying for more than one character whom we, as readers, have come to love, and there is scope for more of these wonderful Harts Ridge stories!
I do love a book with a relatable FMC. Emily is a woman in her early 40s, recently single after being in a long-term relationship, and in need of a change. She quits her career in the air as a flight attendant, and embarks upon a lifelong dream – to become an actress. And why shouldn’t one aspire to make those dreams come true? Emily is lucky to have supportive friends, but her mother does not necessarily believe that Emily is doing what is right for a woman of her age. Emily meets some wonderful people who become a second family to her in a small Italian restaurant, where, like most jobbing actors, she has found a job to keep her head above water, until she lands the perfect role. And she also meets someone rather special too. Let me not regurgitate the story here, but in a nutshell, we have a lovely story of second chances in both love and life. Remember, it’s never too late!
Okay, hands up to being verrrrry late to this bookish party, but the book has been on my shelf for ages, and I decided to audiobook it as I walked. The following is Olive, a PhD student, who somehow accidentally finds herself ‘fake-dating’ Professor Adam Carlson, who is not only arrogant and moody but also hot! Olive is a bit of a nerdy character, not experienced in relationships and boy, does it show! But the fake dating allows her to build a friendship with her fake boyfriend, and in her head, it becomes more of a situationship than she intended. It was a lighthearted read, and as the story built up, I willed for them to come clean to one another about the obvious to everyone else chemistry that they oozed! Now, the steamy part… yes, it was built up slowly, but OMG when it hit, it was HOT! I enjoyed the book even more than I thought I would, as is often the case with books that have been hyped up so much. I totally got the hype this time! A slow burn stem romance with some real sizzle when it comes to the crunch!
My third audiobook so far, and this was a more serious listen. The story of Lale, the Slovakian Jew, captured in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, was harrowing, and that it was based on a true story makes it even more heart-wrenching to listen to. Lale was well-educated, with his wits about him in an incredibly tough situation. How he finds himself as the Tätowierer, or the master tattooist of Auschwitz, is a sad tale in itself, but how he uses his role to help his fellow prisoners is inspiring. Inside the camp, he meets a girl, Gita, and somehow they develop a relationship despite the restrictions. From the beginning, Lale shows a sense of positivity, even though terrible things are happening to him and around him. These two lovers don’t know if they will depart the camp alive or dead, together or apart, but that faith is forever there. I was so moved, listening to this beautiful account of a horribly ugly time in the world’s history.
I loved this story of Mickey Teasdale, who owns a shop selling curiosities on the wonderfully named Ever After Street. She’s determined to match her wonderfully odd collection of stock with the right person, and she always has a story behind each item, whether truth or fiction. Teenager Ava tumbles into her shop one day, followed by her father, Ren. An initial clash of personalities gives way to a friendship and the possibility of something more, especially as they discover a secret in one item that Mickey sells to Ren. A possible real diary of a mermaid piques their curiosity, as one person is desperate for it to be true, and the other is determined to disprove any thoughts of sea people being real. And the third, well, she’s just excited to be there for the ride! I loved that we met all three characters right from the beginning, and it was wonderful to read how their relationships developed, with all the ups and downs accompanying two damaged souls. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and then I realised it was a part of a series. This did not detract from my enjoyment of the book whatsoever. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
I’ll admit to not having read any of the other Little Duck Pond Cafe books, but after reading this one, I think I will be visiting again soon, to catch up! The Pop-Up Cake Shop can be easily read as a standalone. I loved this story which centred around Katya, a woman who finds herself single, after discovering that her partner is not the faithful man she believed. Ellie, her heavily pregnant boss and friend, brings her aboard on a new venture, a travelling cake van, where customers can buy lovely fresh cakes at reduced prices, to stop wastage from some of the local food businesses. Along the way, she meets some interesting people including several new singletons, and they form a little group. An early encounter with a stubborn bulldozer driver, Ivan, and his foreman boss, Caleb turns into something more, as the weeks pass by, and the visits to the surrounding villages become regular. I enjoyed meeting lots of characters who I suspect, if I go back to the beginning of the series, I would learn a lot about, but I was especially glad that Katya got the ending she deserved!
I have listened to this book on my journey to work and back, as well as while walking, and it blew me away, almost as much as The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Cilka’s Journey looks at the life of Cilka, to whom we were introduced in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Cilka Klein was another prisoner in Auschwitz and played a part in Lale’s journey to freedom, but her own story was intriguing, so I was so grateful to Heather Morris for doing all the research to write this next book. The book is set in Russia, where Cilka ends up as a prisoner in a Russian camp, charged with crimes she hasn’t committed. It is horrific to know the degradation and rape that the women in these camps were subjected to, on top of poor living conditions, barely any sustenance, and the threat of death, any day. Cilka’s story shows how she managed to pull herself through this second round of horror, and in that time, bettered herself, and often the lives of the other prisoners who lived with her, even though she was still being subjected to horrific attacks regularly. It did warm my heart to hear the ending. Though it is based on many facts, there are fictional elements, as Morris could not talk to Cilka herself, because she had passed away at the time of the writing of this story. The thought of what that innocent 16-year-old was subjected to over many years doesn’t bear thinking about, but it is also important that the facts are laid out, so people like us know exactly what happened in these camps and prisons. Hopefully, this will breed some compassion into those reading or listening, given the world’s horrors.
Oh, I love these kinds of family-related stories! I thoroughly enjoyed the last Laura Pearson book I read, so was thrilled to read this newest title from her. Imagine getting to your 60s and suddenly being faced with a person who should have been in your life from day one? This is what happens to Debbie Jones and Ruth Waverly. Faced with one another, on one of Debbie’s routine door-knock visits as a part of her job, collecting donations and secular donors for a charity, the two women are shocked to see themselves. Two people who look almost identical. I don’t want to rehash the story, but this is the almost unbelievable story of twins, separated at a very young age, unaware of the existence of the other. How they go about finding out their beginnings, the reason for their separation, and how each woman grows, as if by finding the other, they have finally gained the confidence to take steps they never would have before, is written so beautifully. There is a cast of side characters that give both women extra layers to their personalities and characters. I really enjoyed this.
I enjoy a fake dating trope in my romance reads, and Lizzie Chantree has given me a wonderful one here. The Windsor Love Pact is the first in a new series, set in Windsor. Maya, a wonderfully talented jewellery designer and artist, recently moved back ‘home’ after an unpleasant break-up. A chance encounter with Noah Benedict, a handsome and famous actor who has moved in close by, changes her life’s path. Both characters have a lot on their plates, and the idea of fake dating seems like the perfect solution to the constant cries of ‘when will you find a partner?’ for both of them. I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up of chemistry between Maya and Noah and the meddling from specific individuals. There are secrets and little twists that are a fantastic surprise for readers as the end of the story comes into view. I loved all the different aspects of this book, from the colourful characters, whom I look forward to learning more about as the series progresses, to Bertha, the old ferry that Maya sometimes works on. The descriptions of the riverside views and the plants and flowers surrounding the area made me want to visit! I’m now getting impatient to read the next one! Roll on, August!
Continuing my Audiobook journey, I decided to choose this book, by an author I have already read and enjoyed. Breaking the Rules, the first in The Cornish Village School series was a fantastic listen as I strode each evening. I even laughed out loud at several scenes, so may now look like my local village madwoman as I walk and listen! The story centres around Rosie, the headteacher of the local school, which suddenly finds itself in danger of closure and amalgamation with other village schools, and Matt, her new rather hunky neighbour. There are comedic meet-cute moments. Not one, but several, that really kept me listening. Rosie has baggage of the emotional kind and she doesn’t feel ready for any sort of encounter with a male, however her body and one part of her mind insists on barraging her thoughts, filling them with Matt. We also have the POV of Matt, who has moved for a change, and also because of his job. He has his own reasons for trying hard to steer clear, but both his mind and the behaviour of his scruff of a dog keet bringing him back face to face with Rosie. There are some great characters introduced, who I am sure will feature in future books, and this was the epitome of a romcom!
Another audiobook down. Well, it was one I got free, and though it was entertaining, it wasn’t a taxing listen, and the story of two doctors who somehow become connected romantically was okay. There are lies, misunderstandings, and a theme of mental health, which I feel could have been explored more. The narration was pretty good, though, and made the book, as the characters’ Scottish, Irish, and English accents were brilliantly done!
There will be a Blog tour in the next few days for this one, with the full review!
Remind me not to listen to Lauren Blakely books while driving my car, with passengers in! This story of Monroe and Juliet is a steamy romance of the spiciest degree! Both MCs are hosts on a dating podcast, and they also know each other through Juliet’s brother. There’s a brief history there, and Munrow struggles to keep his feelings quiet. But that gets harder when an extremely satisfied listener gifts them a house which they intend to sell, and when visiting it, they discover it only has one bed…a double bunk bed. With mirrored ceilings! And, to top it off, Juliet asks him to be her dating coach as her life is filled with failed dates. The story is told through both Munroe and Juliet’s POV, and all I will say is that they definitely found out that they were physically compatible, as the pretend dates they went on morphed into something more. Phew! Grumpy sunshine/forced proximity at its spiciest!
Another June Blog tour for this one, so you will have to wait for the full review!
A beautiful, emotional story told by Phillipa Ashley. The story centres around two characters; Tammy, who has lived in Porthmellow all her life. She’s a sand artist and also helps at a local gallery. Having lost her father, she is a bit untethered and quite reluctant to forge relationships with people other than her most trusted friends. The second is Ruan. He’s a solicitor, recently moved to the area, but with connections to the village and surrounding area that become more and more apparent as the story goes on. You feel the connection between the two characters from the beginning, and feel the effects of past secrets coming out on that fragile start of something that could be so special. I loved the story, and the cast of side characters brought extra depth to the story, especially Davey and Polly.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC.
An easy-to-listen-to/read of a book. Abbie finds out that she has inherited a property, not long after an embarrassing breakup, and finds herself in Corfu, where she becomes the owner of a small hotel inland. With her dreams of finding a small cottage in the countryside, with the proceeds of the sale of this unwanted hotel, she arrives in Corfu, with the aims of a quick visit, and finds herself sucked into the small community there, and ends up honouring one of the bookings made prior to her aunt’s death. She meets some characters, including a spiritual Aussie yoga instructor with a penchant for skintight lycra, a wonderful older woman who owns the local taverna and then there is Nikos. Nikos, a former Michelin-starred chef, owns the vineyard next to the hotel, is young, and somewhat handsome, as well as very helpful, rescuing Abbie from all sorts of scrapes. He’s also in a place because of necessity, rather than passion. There is romance, and lots of gigglesome moments along the way, but I cannot 5 star it as I didn’t gel with the narrator as much as I would have liked.
I’m on a fab blog tour, this time for the brilliant Dean Koontz!
The Blurb
When hometown horrors come back to haunt, true friendship provides salvation in a novel about childhood fears and buried secrets by #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz.
As teenagers in the idyllic town of Maple Grove, social outcasts Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer and Ernie become inseparable friends in response to the grim reality of their day-to-day lives.
Growing up, the ‘Four Amigos’ are there for each other no matter what, until three of them leave Maple Grove to pursue lofty
dreams, leaving Ernie behind. Even when Rebecca, Bobby and Spencer achieve stratospheric success in their chosen fields, they remain as loyal to one another as ever, and to dear Ernie, still in Maple Grove.
Years later, when Ernie falls into a coma, his three amigos feel an urgent need to return home. They have the strangest feeling that they remember people lapsing into comas before. And those people always woke up … didn’t they?
Returning after two decades, they find that not a lot has changed in Maple Grove, especially Ernie’s obnoxious, scary mother.
But Rebecca, Bobby and Spencer begin to remember things – a hulking, murderous figure and other weird and disturbing memories that they were somehow made to forget. As Ernie sinks deeper into darkness, something strange and deadly awaits any friend who tries to save him.
For Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer, time is running out to remember the terrors of the past in this perfect town where nothing is what it seems.
For Maple Grove, it’s a chance to have the Four Amigos back in its grasp.
Okay, now what did I just read? I’ve read a few Dean Koontz books over the last few years, and every time, he flummoxes me and trips me up. I think I’m not going on that crazy journey again, and he draws me in with another story filled with strangeness! This time the story revolves around the four amigos: Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer and Ernie. Having grown up in Maple Grove as a group of misfits or nerds, three of them leave town to find their fortunes, but the news of their fourth amigo, Ernie, being in a coma, brings them back to the place they have avoided for many years. There’s something strange in the town. They knew it. They just didn’t exactly know what.And, did they really want to find out? I’m not even going to try and describe the story… But it is filled with the weirdest, strangest happenings, and as the story gained momentum, I sped through it!
About the Author
The author of over 120 novels, Dean Koontz is published in 38 countries, and has sold an incredible 500 million copies to date. His masterful suspense thrillers which blend science fiction, horror, crime and comedy have earned him worldwide acclaim – and 14 hardback #1 NYT bestsellers – and have inspired countless younger novelists.
Dean won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition when he was a senior in college, and has been writing ever since. Fourteen of his novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list (One Door Away From Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, Dragon Tears, Intensity, Sole Survivor, The Husband, Odd Hours, Relentless, What the Night Knows, and 77 Shadow Street), making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. Sixteen of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden. Many of his books have been made into films.
Dean lives in Southern California with Gerda and their golden retriever, Elsa. Dean and Gerda share a deep love of dogs.
The New York Times has called his writing “psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying.”
‘Dean Koontz writes page-turners, middle-of-the-night-sneak-up-behind-you suspense thrillers. He touches our hearts and tingles our spines.’
The Washington Post
‘A modern Swift … a master satirist.’
Entertainment Weekly
‘Koontz has a knack for making the bizarre and uncanny seem as commonplace as a sunrise. Bottom line: the Dean of Suspense.”
People magazine
‘A superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition [and] demonstrating that the real horror of life is found not in monsters, but within the human psyche.’
USA Today
‘Demanding much of itself, Koontz’s style bleaches out cliches while showing a genius for details. He leaves his competitors buried in the dust.’
Kirkus Reviews
‘Koontz has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.’
But I Smile Anyway... 