I have loved some of Linda Corbett’s previous books, so was thrilled to get a chance to be on her Blog tour for Rosie’s Garden of New Beginnings!
The Blurb
Rosie Steadman needs a new start. It’s over a year since her husband died, and there must be more to life than her job in retail. When she spots an advert to rent a garden, it feels like the perfect project.
Media celebrity Connor Forbes is currently lying low in his brother’s flat after a public break-up and, with job prospects drying up, finding someone to look after the overgrown garden is the least of his problems.
For both Rosie and Connor, it’s a strictly business arrangement. But can they keep it that way?
As Rosie gets to know the man beneath the tarnished image, she finds it harder to resist his charms, but she’s been hurt before, and Connor has a reputation – can this really be a second chance at love?
A beautiful, heartfelt romance with a young widow, Rosie, who is stuck in her grief, but is trying to move forward. Her yearning to garden, despite not having her own spot, leads her to find a garden for rent, and with it a rather grumpy, rude landlord, Connor, who is a bit of a celeb. I loved that, through the story, Rosie finds her own feet to stand on, as well as a passion for dressmaking that she never took seriously. And the added romantic element simmered throughout the book. This is such a sweet, warm story with its own misunderstandings and right person, wrong time moments, and it hits a nerve with sensitive topics such as baby loss and losing a loved one.
Linda writes contemporary romantic fiction, and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. In 2020 she was the recipient of the Katie Fforde Bursary, and her debut novel, Love You From A-Z, was a contender for the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award.
For many years, Linda wrote a regular column for a disability magazine, illustrating the humorous aspects of life with a complex disability. She is also a member of Shine – the charity that supports individuals and families living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and three permanently hungry guinea pigs, and when she’s not writing she can usually be found reading, crafting, cuddling guinea pigs or pottering in the garden.
And here we are at the end of the penultimate month of the year, November.
It’s always a busy month at schools, with assessments, sickness because it is getting colder and bugs are rife, and the beginnings of preparing for that time of year… I won’t mention it until the next review post, promise! It’s too early!
My In-Laws have been away, and that takes its toll on the family in its own way, so we managed as best we could.
I love Autumn and the colder evenings for snuggling and reading; however, the clocks changing mean it is dark so early, so I miss going for my daily walks. I would, but it is not a brightly lit place I walk through, and I want to stay safe!
So I read and listened as best I could.
I wanted to take part in the ProWritingAid writing challenge, rather like the old NaNo, but let’s be honest, as I mentioned above, it is a bit too busy in Ritu land to write over 1K a night, while dealing with everything else! I think I only entered one days words!
I always love it when you can dip back into a familiar fictional world, and this is exactly what I was able to do with Lizzie Chantree’s series, the Windsor Riverside Romances, and the latest book, The Windsor Love Match. So far, we have seen romance blossom for couples, and the third story involves Romy, fiery sister of Maya, and her riverside rival, Luca, a red-blooded Italian who seems to lock horns at every turn. When they find themselves in a bit of a situation, neither of them knows how things will work out. A bit of proximity, enemy-to-lovers going on, here, and their own backstories are heart-wrenching, as they slowly get to know one another better. This was an easy read, filled with feel-good vibes, and Romy and Luca’s chemistry was electric from the off. It was wonderful to read about characters from other books as well, to catch up on their lives.
Ach Kiley, you’ve done it again! I loved meeting the characters in the first Highland Repair shop book, and the whole concept of the story, with recycling, and sustainability, at the heart, so knowing we were going back there in Mending Lost Dreams, I was thrilled! We still have the stalwart characters, but this time we meet and get to know others. Alice is a doctor who has moved there for GP duties, after a scare in her previous posting. She’s nervous, and not sure she’s up for the job, but the magic of Cairn Dhu, begins to get to her. Cary is one fixer at the Repair Shop, with his own demons, but he begins to feel stirrings of feelings he never thought would come back. Finlay is a gruff mountain ranger on the Cairn Dhu mountain. A loner, who doesn’t like to be disturbed. But that is not an option when silly hikers keep getting themselves in bother. Murray is Alice’s brother. Alice was a focus character in the last book, and Murray’s twin. We know Murray escaped from his previous job abroad, as well as running from a failed relationship, and he’s such a sweetie, all the reader wants is for him to find his HEA – but who with? Then we have Nell the mummy dog, found with two pups, who are brought into the mix. All these characters are the focus of the story, and there is lots of ‘mending’ and ‘fixing’ of material objects, as well as hearts and dreams as the story progresses. High five to the author for bringing in difficulties with Mental Heath, and also the challenges of SEN children, through the story too. I loved it and cannot wait for the next one to drop! Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
It was time to revisit Birchlea Heath Village, and this time we are with Naomi, a producer at a TV company, tasked with looking after the whims of Isaac, a contestant on the reality show, The Wow Factor. He is already a minor celebrity, and his presence causes a stir in the community, as well as in Naomi’s life, as he somehow ends up staying at her home with her parents and becomes her fake boyfriend for the Paparazzi. Along the way, he helps her realise that her life is not what she wants, and he helps her break down internal barriers, until something happens, causing both of them to question one another. A sweet, easy read set in a quaint little village where everyone knows each other’s business, and a little bit in New York, where we also experience a little Christmas magic!
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful listen! The Story Collector is a dual-timeline tale about two women, set 100 years apart in the Emerald Country, Ireland. 2012 – Sarah, an American woman, is running away from her life and a secret grief that she cannot unburden herself from. She finds herself in Ireland on a whim and is caught up in the lives of a local family, and some mystical goings on, when she stumbles upon the diary of a girl from a century ago. 1912 – Anna, a young farm girl, meets a stranger, an American gentleman, who is researching fairy stories and their roots, and needs a translator. Not expecting her family to agree, she volunteers, and ends up riding around the locality with him, visiting all those who have stories of the Good Folk, and plenty of fuel for her researcher’s thesis. I love the idea of fairies, and whether I believe or not, it is intriguing to read about them . So many communities, specifically the Celtic countries, have much folklore that is fodder for many books, including this one. This was magical, ethereal, tragic and romantic, and all-round beautiful to listen to. I have to admit a soft Irish lilt helps the way with the narrator doing a fantastic job. Thoroughly lost myself in this story whenever I listened, and I was nearly late for school some days as I didn’t want to stop partway through chapters!
A Charm of Finches: A short story from the author of the beloved Dr Nell Ward series by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have loved listening to the previous books in this series, and this short story was another wonderful edition, whetting our appetite for the next book, An Ambush of Tigers! We meet Nell and Rav, as well as Connor and Sylvia, and Shannon and James, again, and this time, they are all trying to solve a family riddle which has never been solved, in search of a worthy prize left by one of Nell’s ancestors. There aren’t murders in this short, but the result leaves it wide open for a cracker of a next book, when I am guessing we will be off to India!
Book 14 in the Hart’s Ridge series, and it just gets better and better! Taylor Gray is no longer part of the local police force, but she remains as passionate about solving crimes and mysteries that occur in the area. This time, the mysterious death of someone close to Taylor, triggers her into investigating, alongside her old partner at work, Shane. My oh, my, I wasn’t expecting that ending, that’s for sure! This series is thrilling, and each book keeps me turning pages until the end.
I’ve never been to Rome, but it has always been pictured in my head as a city filled with romance. Lucy Elena’s book, The Starling Dance, adds a whimsical filter to the city, alongside the romance. There is a small cast of characters and several points of view, but the primary character is Laure, a French woman living there, who came to Rome to escape something from her past. Her job, though tedious, keeps her going. We also have Viv, the human tree. Yes, I know that sounds a bit strange, but you need to read it to find out what it means! Viv is an observer, and he finds himself drawn to this beautiful woman he keeps seeing but knows nothing about. The story follows Laure as she falls into a bit of a muddle, as a lie she told in a simple conversation with a handsome stranger catches up with her. She finds herself unable to extricate herself from a situation she doesn’t want to be in. And then there is Viv, who has his own troubled background, which makes him the tree that he is, but the faint glimmer of hope of romance promises to make him want to step out from the shadows. This was a light hearted, nuanced romantic story with a little fantastical element to give it an added sparkle!
I can’t believe it took me this long to read/listen to other books in the Walsh Family series, but now that I have the audiobooks, I am a bit hooked. This one is about Maggie, sister #2, who is married and finds out her husband, Garv has been cheating. She finds herself in Los Angeles – the city of Angels, staying with her friend, Emily, and is swept up into the glamorous (and sometimes not so glamorous) world of movies, and all the ups and downs that come with it. Maggie has moments of rekindling old passions and stoking new ones before deciding where her real happy life lies. It was a great listen, and the antics turned up a notch when her mammy, dad, and sisters turned up to see if she was okay, and to have a mini holiday themselves!
Loved this book of fiction, with its many parallels to the British Royal Family, and the twists and turns Princess Alexandrina (Lexi) has to overcome as she goes from being the Spare to the Heir, albeit reluctantly. It really does make you question whether the grass is really greener on the other side, as in having blue blood, rather than being the average human… I really felt for Lexi, as she battled internally with her hereditary duty as opposed to her passion, both work-related and romantically. Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC.
I’ll be on the blog tour for this beaut, early in December, so you can see the review there!
Another one I am on the blog tour for in Early December!
So, that was a respectable 11 books over the last month. Which one caught your eye?
I’m on the blog tour for Lucy Elena’s fab book, The Starling Dance!
The Blurb
The Starling Dance
In a sweltering Roman summer, Laure is trying to start a new life. But can she manage in a city where walls have ears, trees have eyes and even the birds are acting strangely?
It’s been exactly one year since the shit hit the fan and Laure’s anxiety exploded into a full-blown burn out. In search of a new start she’s moved to Rome – pasta, Aperol and sunshine should make everything better, right?
But with her 30s around the corner, la bella vita isn’t going to plan.
Her boyfriend, the dreamy Davide, has disappeared (Either Laure’s been ghosted or he’s accidentally fallen off a cliff – hopefully)
She wants to murder her neighbours: their arguments are keeping her up all night.
In her local café, Laure meets a handsome stranger and the sparks fly, that is until she finds herself caught in a big lie.
‘Hmmm, it’s not ideal,’ says her best friend Eva, as she puffs on a spliff in the bathtub.
Just as things are heating up, a talking tree enters the fray (as if this Roman summer wasn’t weird enough, just ask the birds).
That tree is Viviano, a dynamic and adventurous street performer who poses around the Eternal City dressed as a tree, well, sometimes a cat too and sometimes a ripe tomato. He could be thriving in life but something is holding him back. One thing is certain though: he wants to meet Laure.
Will Laure find her path? Will she accidentally put pineapple on a pizza? And is there a real love story to be found in the surreal swirls of the Italian capital?
The Starling Dance is a love story full of quirk, humour and heart-warming characters, each trying to overcome their personal obstacles and demons to give themselves a chance at life and love.
I’ve never been to Rome, but it has always been pictured in my head as a city filled with romance. Lucy Elena’s book, The Starling Dance, adds a whimsical filter to the city, alongside the romance. There is a small cast of characters and several points of view, but the primary character is Laure, a French woman living there, who came to Rome to escape something from her past. Her job, though tedious, keeps her going. We also have Viv, the human tree. Yes, I know that sounds a bit strange, but you need to read it to find out what it means! Viv is an observer, and he finds himself drawn to this beautiful woman he keeps seeing but knows nothing about. The story follows Laure as she falls into a bit of a muddle, as a lie she told in a simple conversation with a handsome stranger catches up with her. She finds herself unable to extricate herself from a situation she doesn’t want to be in. And then there is Viv, who has his own troubled background, which makes him the tree that he is, but the faint glimmer of hope of romance promises to make him want to step out from the shadows. This was a light hearted, nuanced romantic story with a little fantastical element to give it an added sparkle!
About The Author
Author Bio: Lucy Elena is a Londoner with a love of languages and exploring new different cultures. For most of her career she has been a journalist reporting across Europe and Latin America. But she has also experimented with career forays into pasta making (yes, like an Italian nonna) and teaching. Lucy has always loved dreaming up and telling stories and The Starling Dance is her debut novel. When not writing or working, Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new foods and pretending she can play the ukulele.
I am thrilled to host my dear friend Jodie Homer as she publishes the second in the Birch Lea Village series, Falling For A Star At Christmas
Blurb Isaac is a contestant on The Wow Factor, and Naomi is assigned to look after him. As they spend more time together, their feelings for each other deepen. Isaac trusts Naomi with his biggest secret, but it finds its way onto national TV and forces them apart. Using her ornament making hobby as a distraction, Naomi escapes the pain of what’s happened by flying across the pond to New York whilst Isaac is in the UK. But when Isaac suddenly quits the show and returns home, staying away isn’t an easy task. Can Isaac forgive and forget in one of the biggest cities in the world or will fate bring them back together?
It was time to revisit Birchlea Heath Village, and this time we are with Naomi, a producer at a TV company, tasked with looking after the whims of Isaac, a contestant on the reality show, The Wow Factor. He is already a minor celebrity, and his presence causes a stir in the community, as well as in Naomi’s life, as he somehow ends up staying at her home with her parents and becomes her fake boyfriend for the Paparazzi. Along the way, he helps her realise that her life is not what she wants, and he helps her break down internal barriers, until something happens, causing both of them to question one another. A sweet, easy read set in a quaint little village where everyone knows each other’s business, and a little bit in New York, where we also experience a little Christmas magic!
Author bio Jodie lives in a small village in Solihull with her husband and two children. She loves nothing more than dancing around embarrassingly to 90s music and eating mint chocolate. Jodie enjoys reading and writing books full of romance and swoon-worthy fictional men.
I am thrilled to have the President of the RNA, and fabulous author, Sue Moorcroft’s latest release, A Christmas Gift, on the blog today!
The Blurb
Can the happiest time of year heal the most broken of hearts?
Georgine loves Christmas. The festive season always brings the little village of Middledip to life. But since her ex-boyfriend walked out, leaving her with crippling debts, Georgine’s struggled to make ends meet.
To keep her mind off her worries, she throws herself into organising the Christmas show at the local school. And when handsome Joe Blackthorn becomes her assistant, Georgine’s grateful for the help. But there’s something about Joe she can’t quite put her finger on. Could there be more to him than meets the eye?
Georgine’s past is going to catch up with her in ways she never expected. But can the help of friends old and new make this a Christmas to remember after all?
It’s definitely the time of year to be getting into festive stories, and this lovely tale by the talented Sue Moorcroft was so good I finished it in one day Georgine works in an Arts Further Eductaion facility and takes great pride in her job, supporting young people with their creative dreams. Stuck in a scary situation involving bailiffs looking for her ex constantly, brings back reminders of a past she longs to forget. Joe has his own bleak past that he cannot escape, but being at the same facility as Georgine has its own healing qualities, though he is not sure how to explain his own situation to her. There are so many hidden layers to this story, as well as to the main characters, it kept me turning page after page until I reached the end, where after plenty of drama, there was an ending to make my heart sing (kinda like some of the students in the Christmas performance that is featured through the whole story!) A heartfelt story about no one really knowing what another’s life is like, as well as bonds of friendship, and long lasting love. A true Christmas gift!
Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels have been #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US, Canada, Germany and Italy. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award, two HOLT Medallions and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She’s the president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.
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But I Smile Anyway... 