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One Summer in Italy by Victoria Springfield #BlogTour #BookReview #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks @VictoriaSwrites

20 May 2025 4 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Boldwood Books, Book Tour, One Summer In Italy, Rachel's Random Resources, Victoria Springfield

I’m delighted to be on the blog tour for fellow RNA member, Victoria Springfield’s new release, One Summer in Italy.

The Blurb

A return to Venice. A friendship rekindled. A time for romance.

Natalie’s landed the opportunity of a lifetime hosting television show ‘Luxe Life Swap’, but she’s dreading going back to Venice, scene of the school trip that changed her life. The beauty of the floating city and handsome watch restorer Eraldo begin to win her over, however. But then glamorous contestant Cate arrives, the girl who was once plain, ordinary Cathy – the ex-best friend Natalie blames for the night that wrecked her life.

Cate’s swapping The Old Vicarage for two weeks in a Venetian palazzo, hoping she might pluck up the courage to go on the quest she’s been putting off for more than twenty years. Forced to spend time with Natalie, Cate hopes to rebuild their friendship – until Natalie makes a shocking accusation against Cate’s husband. Cate needs to find out the truth but how can she expect Phil to be honest when she’s keeping secrets of her own?

My Review

One Summer in Italy by Victoria Springfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you want a book to pull you to visit Venice, then you might need to read this!
Natalie works as a TV freelancer and is asked to present a programme in Venice. Sounds amazing. But she will have to step into the shoes of a famous presenter, which is no mean feat. And Venice… well, that’s another story. Nat has to face some pretty big demons to accept the job. But none bigger than what she finds out when she realises who she will be spending time with.
Cate and Phil are a well-to-do couple, with Phil owning a prestigious furniture business, and Cate living a fantastic life. They’ve been approached to be one couple on a house swap programme with a difference, both couples live lives of luxury, including where and how they live. They both have secrets linked to Venice that neither of them has ever discussed with the other.
What a brilliant story!
The way we are led into these secrets, some darker than others, is done so well, and how they entwine with one another intricately keeps us reading. Well, it kept me reading!
Beautiful descriptions of the various parts of Venice, both the tourist spots and those lesser-known areas. Food is spoken about so much, I’d want to reach out for some, but I wasn’t there!
There is romance, both new and rekindled, and mysteries solved, as well as friendships renewed.
I read this within a day and loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

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

About The Author

Victoria Springfield writes contemporary ‘wish you were here’ evocative women’s fiction set in Italy. Her feel-good books follow unforgettable characters of all ages as they deal with love, loss, friendship and family secrets. Readers can feel the sunshine!

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @VictoriaSpringfieldAuthor

Twitter: @VictoriaSwrites

Instagram: @victoriaswrites

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

Bookbub profile: @VictoriaSWrites

The Cornish Cottage By The Sea by Kim Nash #BlogTour #BookReview #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks @KimTheBookworm

12 May 2025 4 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Boldwood Books, Book Tour, Kim Nash, Rachel's Random Resources, review, The Cornish Cottage By The Sea

Very happy to be a part of the book tour for my friend, Kim Nash, and her newest release, The Cornish Cottage By The Sea.

The Blurb

A gorgeous, uplifting, romantic read from the author of the Cornish Cove series, Kim Nash A new start by the sea…

For Jo Jenkins, life has always been about putting others first. But with her children grown and her ex-husband as rotten as ever, she knows it’s time to put herself at the heart of the story. So, when she inherits a beautiful beachside cottage in Cornwall, she grabs the chance to start over.

The crumbling old cottage needs a little love, but so does Jo. And with the help of her new friends – a kind-hearted jeweller, a no-nonsense businesswoman, and a local Jack of all trades with a past of his own – Jo begins to rebuild more than just bricks and mortar.

But tucked away inside the cottage is a secret that could change everything. As the waves roll in and the sea air clears her mind, Jo must decide if she’s ready to let go of the past. Will she finally learn to embrace the life she truly deserves?

My Review

The Cornish Cottage by the Sea by Kim Nash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Kim Nash’s books. Always a focus on a slightly older FMC and second chances.
In The Cornish Cottage By The Sea, Jo Jenkins is a divorcee and mother to two grown-up daughters. She’s stagnating in her little flat, in a place that only holds sad memories, staying there in case her family wants to come ‘home’.
An inheritance she never expected leaves her as the owner of a Cornish cottage owned by her ex-husband’s aunt, which she coveted when she first. It’s a big move. The cottage is not quite what she remembered, but the place is still beautiful with idyllic surroundings and views she could stare at forever. Knowing there are members of her family who weren’t on board with the move, Jo carries on, hoping for the best, but doubting she will perform miracles.
I loved that Jo found terrific, supportive friends from the beginning, conquering her reluctance to talk to people she doesn’t know, after advice from her mum, and beginning every friendship with simple conversations.
The way she builds her new gang of ‘people’ is lovely. It gives hope that there is a way to move forward positively even when everything you lived for has changed.
Jo meets Seamus, a local handyman, through his father, and one of her new “I am brave’ conversations with strangers. He is friendly, helpful, and somewhat handsome, but Jo is so used to seeing herself as the frumpy middle-aged mother figure that she can’t believe he would be interested in her.
Her new friends help to build her self-confidence back up to where it should be, and they even form a Friday Club, which sounds like a blast, and support others around them.
A mystery that she didn’t even know she wanted to solve also presents its solution to her towards the end.
Such a wonderful story. I read it in a day!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

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

About The Author

Kim Nash is an author of uplifting, romantic, feel-good fiction, having wanted to write books since she was a little girl. She works as both Digital Publicity Director for publisher Bookouture. She lives in Staffordshire with her son Ollie and English Setter rescue dog Roni. When she’s not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog and reading, as well as running a book club in Staffordshire and organising local and national reader/author events.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.nash.10

Twitter https://twitter.com/KimTheBookworm

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kim_the_bookworm/

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

Bookbub profile: Kim Nash Books – BookBub

The Dolce Vita Divas by Maddie Please #BlogTour #BookReview #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks

01 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Boldwood Books, Book Tour, Maddie please, Rachel's Random Resources, The Dolce Vita Divas

I do love a romantic story with a more mature FMC, and was pleased to be asked to join the blog tour for Maddie Please’s The Dolce Vita Divas!

The Blurb

Sunshine, Sisterhood, and Second Chances

At the ripe (and fabulous) age of 64, Joanna Dawson finds herself feeling ever so slightly… meh. Her husband, Greg, has run off with a TBT (thin, blonde, trollop, obviously), her kids have flown the nest, and her social calendar is emptier than her wine rack.

As Jo’s 65th birthday looms, she’s left wondering: Is this it?

Enter Susie, her best friend, with an offer Jo can’t quite refuse: an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to honour their late friend Ellen. Jo’s not sure she wants to go all the way to Italy, but with nothing else to do and if only to make Susie happy, she agrees. A holiday is a holiday after all.

Capri is even more gorgeous than Jo imagined and soon she and Susie are having the time of their life, especially as Jo is reunited with her dashing first love, Paulo. The one who, most definitely, got away…

Things might have fizzled with Paulo decades ago, but in the land of sun, pasta, and far too much wine, Jo begins to wonder: Could this be her second chance at life…and amore?

Pack your bags for a heartwarming, fun, and sun-drenched adventure as Jo discovers that life after 64 might just be the most exciting chapter yet.

My Review

The Dolce Vita Divas by Maddie Please
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed some of Maddie Please’s previous books with older FMCs and seeing as that is where I am in life, it is great to read feel-good fiction targeted at that age.
Joanne is a retired woman, about to celebrate a key birthday and reflecting on her life.
She’s going to hit 65, divorced, with an ex-husband shacked up with his secretary, three grown-up children, two granddaughters and has recently, reluctantly, welcomed her son back home while he mops up his life after a breakup.
A short birthday break with one of her best friends, Susie, gives her reason to want to stretch her wings a little further, out of the comfort of her staid life.
They find themselves in Capri, to celebrate the life of one of their friends, Ellen, who passed away, and Jo faces a person she classes as her first love. Paulo.
I’m not going to detail what what happens, but there is plenty of wine, pasta, and humour. The side cast of characters, including the indomitable Contessa, mother of Paulo, and little Eric, Paulo’s 5-year-old grandson, bring much enjoyment to the tale, and ultimately, seeing a woman grab her life back when others are saying “What? At your age?”, is just inspirational!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

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

About The Author

Maddie Please is the author of bestselling joyous tales of older women. She has had a career as a dentist and now lives in rural Herefordshire where she enjoys box sets, red wine and Christmas.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @maddieplease

Twitter: @MaddiePlease1

Instagram: @maddieplease1

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

Bookbub profile: @MaddiePlease

The House Of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer #BlogTour #BookReview #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks @JenniKeer

28 Apr 2025 7 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Boldwood Books, Book Tour, Jenni Keer, Rachel's Random Resources, Reviews

Absolutely thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Jenni’s newest release, The House Of Lost Whispers!

The Blurb

On 15^th April 1912, RMS Titanic sank and Olivia’s life changed forever… but what if a world existed where it hadn’t?

When the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic leaves thirteen-year-old Olivia Davenport orphaned, she’s sent to live with her guardians, the Fairchilds, in their huge Jacobean mansion – Merriford Manor. But the Fairchilds have more to worry about than a grieving young girl – with war in Europe imminent and four sons to protect.

Olivia feels alone and friendless. That is, until she hears a voice from behind the wall in her tower bedroom. A voice from a man called Seth. Convinced he’s merely a product of her grieving imagination, she learns to live with him but it’s not until after the heartbreak of the war that Olivia, now a young woman of twenty, discovers that he exists in an overlapping world that is just a shudder in time away from her own. A world where the Titanic never sank… And everything since has been just slightly… different.

All Olivia wants is to find a way into his reality. And not just to see the faces of her beloved parents once again. But also to meet Seth. Who might just be the love of her life…

An utterly unforgettable reading group historical novel, that is part romance, part gripping mystery, and part completely heartbreaking First World War historical fiction. Perfect for fans of Titanic, In Memoriam and Lucinda Riley.

My Review

The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The moment I saw this book up for review, I jumped at the chance because I have enjoyed every one of Jenni Keer’s novels, and I love the way historical aspects are woven into her fantastic fiction.
The House of Lost Whispers is no different. I think it is one of my favourite Jenni Keer books!
There is a dual timeline, with a difference. Olivia Davenport, the FMC and daughter of a famous author, is grieving after losing her parents tragically as passengers on the ill-fated Titanic.
Olivia is taken to the village of Merriford Lode to live with her legal guardian and her father’s best friend, Sir Hugo, in his large manor house. Olivia loses herself in the fantasy world created in her mind until she is reintroduced to four sons of the family, one younger, one a similar age, and two much older.
She finds herself drawn to a particular wing of the house and requests that she be allowed to stay there, displacing a young gardener.
The dual timeline bit comes here, where Olivia finds someone else here, not a ghost, but someone who appears to live in the same place, but in a different dimension.
He’s the same gardener she displaced, Seth Tanner, and as they go through time, they build an unlikely friendship that sees them through personal ups and downs and the First World War. They never see each other but are strangely able to hear one another.
Like the movie The Butterfly Effect, one difference in their lives at a key moment garners different effects to their lives.
You have a bit of history, along with fiction, a bit of a murder mystery and a little paranormal romance thrown in.
I was hooked from the beginning and loved it.
I’m sure I won’t be the only one hoping and wishing for a secret portal to open up, allowing these two very different individuals to meet…
I’m not saying anything else. Don’t want to ruin the story for anyone, but it was pure magic!
Can’t wait for whatever comes next, Jenni!

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

About the Author

Jenni Keer lives in the glorious Suffolk countryside with her four grown up children, three demanding cats, but just the one husband. She is often frustrated by their inability to appreciate that when she’s staring into space, she’s actually working, and that watching television counts as research. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.

Keer has written two contemporary rom coms and five quirky historicals, with two more due out in 2025.

The best-selling No. 23 Burlington Square (her 1920s sliding doors mystery) has now sold over 100,000 copies.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @jenni.keer

Twitter: @JenniKeer

Instagram: @JenniKeer

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

Bookbub profile: @jennikeer

Meet Me Under The Clock by Jo Lovett #BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks @JoLovettWrites

15 Apr 2025 2 Comments

by Ritu in Reviews Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Boldwood Books, Book Tour, Jo Lovett, Meet Me Under The Clock, Rachel's Random Resources

Today’s blog tour introduces Meet Me Under The Clock by Jo Lovett.

The Blurb

The BRAND NEW gorgeous, uplifting romance from Jo Lovett

Sometimes love happens when you least expect it…

When Nadia and Tom are both unceremoniously stood up by their dates under the clock at Waterloo Station, fate throws them together in the most unusual of circumstances.

What starts as a brilliant story for future dinner parties soon turns into a wonderful friendship, and both Tom and Nadia realise they’ve found the perfect partner in crime.

Tired of dating but always needing a plus one for weddings, parties, and the like, they agree to fake date each other. But as their pretend relationship starts to feel more real, Nadia and Tom begin to wonder if there’s more to their connection than convenience.

Could the relationship they’ve been faking be the one they’ve been waiting for all along?

A heartwarming fake dating rom com, perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Sophie Kinsella.

My Review

Meet Me Under the Clock by Jo Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love it when a coincidental meeting sparks a bit of fake dating and plenty of confused feelings!
Five people are coincidentally under the clock at Waterloo Station when a lockdown occurs. Two are celebrating an engagement. One is reeling from finding out her husband was cheating on her. And the other two… both stood up by their prospective dates.
Nadia and Tom end up with a friendship that takes on a different guise as they both find themselves unhappy with their current situations.
Step forward the friends and their fake dating idea. Never the best idea, though!
As with any good romance, it was clear from the off to the reader, but not to the MCs, that they were going to be perfect for each other, but the journey they took to get to that end point was very entertaining. There was an obvious chemistry between Nadia and Tom, and I was willing it to finally spark from the beginning!
Plenty of laughs out loud awkward moments as well as those ‘will they? won’t they’ ones to keep you on your reading toes, and a lovely bunch of supporting characters.
I enjoyed this light-hearted story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

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

About The Author

Jo Lovett writes heart-warming, feel-good romcoms. Her latest book, We Were On a Break, published by Boldwood, will be released on 29 July 2024.

Jo lives in London with her family. She started writing romantic comedy when she realised that she was regularly begging her oldest son to let her do his English homework but she wasn’t actually that interested in haunted houses or Macbeth. When she can escape her laundry mountain, she enjoys reading, tennis and wine.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @Jo Lovett Author

Twitter: @JoLovettWrites

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