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The Old Girls’ Chateau Escape by Kate Galley #BlogTour @rararesources @KateGalley1 @BoldwoodBooks

29 Jan 2025 6 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Kate Galley, Rachel's Random Resources, The Old Girls' Chateau Escape

Please join me on the blog tour for The Old Girls’ Chateau Escape by Kate Galley.

Two old friends. One unexpected adventure!

When, at the age of 71, Gina Knight’s husband of four decades left her unexpectedly, she thought her life over. Until she met Dorothy Reed – a woman so full of the joie de vivre you’d think she was 21, not nearly 90. Gina would do anything for Dorothy. So when Dorothy suggests she take on the role of companion for one of Dorothy’s old friends, Gina sees no reason to say no.

Meredith Harper is a successful writer, living in Provence, and needs help looking after her husband, whose health is deteriorating. But when Gina arrives at the grand chateau, it becomes clear that Dorothy has not given Gina the full story.

Because Meredith is also writing her memoirs, and Dorothy wants to know the contents before anyone else. So much so, she’s sent Gina to spy.

But what secrets is Meredith keeping? And will Gina be able to find out the truth before her cover’s blown?

My Review

The Old Girls’ Chateau Escape by Kate Galley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read the previous book, Old Girls Behaving Badly, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I dived into the Old Girl’s Chateau Escape, excited to catch up with some old friends and meet some new ones.
Gina is a woman in her seventies who previously ended up being Dorothy’s companion, a woman twenty years her senior.
Somehow, Dorothy gets wind of a situation where a couple needs a companion for a short while and feels Gina would be ideal for the job, especially as she has a personal interest in this couple.
Gina agrees to go and travels to the South of France to help Meredith, a novelist, and her husband while their daughter has had to disappear in an emergency.
So much happens, and Gina proves to be a great problem solver and someone everyone ends up warming to, even the secretive, prickly Meredith.
There is a little mystery, an inkling of romance and lots of giggles to be had. Dorothy ends up in the mix, and causes her own ripples while there.
I really enjoyed reading this, and wonder whether Gina and Dorothy have any more adventures up their sleeves?

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/oldgirlschateauescape

Author Bio –

Kate Galley is the author of uplifting golden years fiction, including The Second Chance Holiday Club. She was previously published by Aria, and is a mobile hairdresser in her spare time.

#JusJoJan 26th – Jubilee

26 Jan 2025 11 Comments

by Ritu in #jusjojan Tags: #jusjojan, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Linda G Hill

Our prompt today is courtesy of the lovely Liz. Thank you, Liz! Please be sure to visit Liz’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 26th, 2025 is “jubilee.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

There have been a couple of jubilees in my time.

Here in the UK, we celebrate a monarch reaching a certain number of years monarchy with pomp and circumstance.

I can’t say I remember them all, but I know that in 2012, in my second year at the school I still work at, we got the kids all excited about the 60th jubilee, i.e. the Diamond Jubilee. We made a throne and the children made a model of HRH the Queen, and we had a garden party on the playground!

2022 was a biggie, too. Seventy years on the throne. We celebrated The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, again with much fun with the children. And on our road, there was a street party to mark the event.

Alas, she passed away not long after, so now, we wait to see which milestones King Charles the Third chalks up against his name…

https://lindaghill.com/2025/01/26/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-26th-2025/

Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson #BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources @CeliaAnderson1

26 Jan 2025 4 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Rachel's Random Resources, The Paris Chapter, Victoria Walters

Please join me on the blog tour for Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson

Ingrid is desperate to sell up and move on. Recently widowed, she no longer needs the large house or the treasures (and tat) collected by her late husband, Tommy, an auctioneer. Then there’s the debt he left her with, too.

So, she jumps at the chance to downsize and move to Willowbrook on a temporary lease. She’ll open a pop-up shop for just one year – to dispose of Tommy’s accumulated goods – and then move on. No getting embroiled in village life.

But Ingrid hasn’t reckoned on Willowbrook’s extrovert local ladies (known as the Saga Louts). Or handsome local craftsman Joel, with whom there’s a definite attraction. They all want to help set up ‘The Treasure Trove’.

Surprisingly, it turns out Ingrid can also help them.

Will she ever achieve the fresh start and simpler life she craved? Or will Ingrid discover a wonderful new way to move onwards and upwards?

Fans of Milly Johnson, Maddy Please or Judy Leigh will love Celia Anderson’s uplifting and romantic stories.

My Review

Onwards and Upwards: A BRAND NEW hilarious, uplifting read from Celia Anderson for 2025 by Celia Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ingrid is recently widowed and having found that her gregarious, life and soul of the party husband had left her with as much debt as memories, embarks upon a task to sell off some of the accumulated junk from her married life, so she can downsize and live a simple life.
She takes on a temporary let of her aunt’s shop in order to accomplish this, and though she initially thinks she is alone, an entire village is there to help her.
I loved the Saga Louts, a group of older, independent women, each widowed, and trying to live their best lives. They take Ingrid under their wings and assist her with the shop set up, and I have to say I loved Winnie!
Josh, divorced carpenter with a teenage daughter also ends up helping, after being her removal driver, and finds that he has more reasons for volunteering to assist the lovely Ingrid.
Along with the above, there were so many great characters. There was a real eclectic mix of people, giving the book a wonderfully inclusive feel.
Ingrid may have had her doubts and problems, but she works out ways to overcome them with her new friends and faces up to age-old demons along the way. She even finds time to help some of those new friends with their own conundrums.
I really enjoyed reading this. A lovely feel-good story with an eclectic mix of characters supporting.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Author Bio –

Celia Anderson is a top ten bestselling author of women’s fiction. Previously published by Harper Collins, she is now turning her hand to uplifting golden years fiction for Boldwood.

Social Media Links

Facebook: @CeliaAndersonAuthor

Twitter: @CeliaAnderson1

Instagram: @cejanderson

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/CeliaAndersonNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/celia-anderson

Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SOCS & #JusJoJan – In Line

25 Jan 2025 21 Comments

by Ritu in #jusjojan, #SoCS Tags: #jusjojan, #SoCS, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, In Line

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 25th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “in line.” Use it any way you’d like! Enjoy!

We British do love a queue
No matter what it leads to
You'll find us in line
Come rain or shine
For want of something to do

Ritu 2025

I’m sorry, that was just silly. We don’t queue that much! (Or maybe we do, lol!)

The Friday Reminder for #SoCS & #JusJoJan 2025 Daily Prompt for Jan. 25th

#JusJoJan 24 – Hobbies

24 Jan 2025 6 Comments

by Ritu in #jusjojan Tags: #jusjojan, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Hobbies, Linda G Hill

Our prompt today comes to us from the wonderful mind of June. Thank you, June! Please be sure to visit June’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 24th, 2025 is “hobbies.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Hobbies are those things you do for fun. Activites that give you joy.

And my main hobby is reading.

I’ll be honest, it’s my only hobby, because I don’t have time to pursue others!

I’d love to take classes in photography. I’ve done online courses on calligraphy, I love baking and cooking. All could be classed as hobbies, but I don’t have the time, bar the cooking one, because, well, we do have to eat, to really get experimental!

What’s your hobby?