I’m back with another great blog tour review for fantastic author Nicola May and her latest release, Cosy Up in Seahaven Bay.
The Blurb
From the million-copy bestselling author of The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay, this is a joyful festive read about family, forgiveness, and finding your way home for the holidays.
Snow is drifting over the harbour, a twinkling Christmas market is headed to Seahaven Bay, and Rita Jory is about to learn that the most magical time of year might bring the most chaos… but it also brings the most love.
Life at the Seahaven Bay Retreat has never been fuller. Engaged to gorgeous farmer Jago, mum to brand-new twins at forty-seven, and with both her grown-up children back under Cornish skies, Rita is running on cold tea, broken sleep and sheer adrenaline – and she’s determined to host the cosiest Christmas retreat the bay has ever seen.
But the festive season has other plans. A charming, mysterious newcomer is setting up the harbour market, and Rita can’t shake the feeling she’s met him somewhere before. Her son is flirting with the one person he shouldn’t. Rita’s sure her daughter is hiding something too. And as the snow closes in and a houseful of strangers arrives hoping to heal by the sea, the secrets everyone’s been keeping start to unravel.
Can Rita reunite her chaotic family, and will everyone make it to Christmas morning with their hearts intact?
Curl up with the perfect rom-com this Christmas if you love:
A heart-warming, laugh-out-loud festive story with real emotion
Small-town, idyllic Cornish setting
A warm, chaotic found family
Second-chance, later-in-life love
A forbidden, ‘no strings’ romance that catches feelings
Small-town gossip, big-hearted friends and very badly behaved farm animals
Perfect for fans of cosy, witty, festive fiction from Jenny Colgan, Heidi Swain, Phillipa Ashley and Sarah Morgan.
Readers adore Nicola May’s Seahaven Bay series:
‘Pure escapism… warm, funny, just a perfect read!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What an amazing book. I was lost in this book for a few days and I’m still thinking of it… An incredible, touching story.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I was in tears, this is an emotional rollercoaster ride of a book, you had better strap in!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautiful, emotional… I highly recommend that you read this, but have a box of tissues at hand! You may cry!!!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Nicola May triumphs… A moving, mature, gutsy story… Superb!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartfelt, enjoyable read, I loved it!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautiful… full of tears, romance and heartbreaking sadness! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a feel-good chicklit with a deeper meaning.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Written from the heart…a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It is packed full of heartbreak but is also an exceptionally uplifting read.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Absolutely brilliant…I read it in a day. So many twists and turns…’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I just could not put this book down… so enjoyable and heartwarming.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved my previous two visits to Seahaven Bay and was thrilled to pop in again to catch up on Rita and Jago’s lives with their newborns. Nathan and Noa, little surprises, to add to Rita’s older twins. Thom and Sennen. This time, we see Rita struggling with being an older mother while juggling the retreat, her relationship with Jago, and her older children, who, let’s be frank, haven’t always been the easiest to handle in previous books. Opening the pages and getting stuck in felt like visiting old friends and family, as we see different sides of Rita’s mother-in-law, Hilda, and meet other characters from the previous stories. Set around the festive period in a picturesque location, it was wonderful! A little drama, some tension, and romance are sprinkled in where you don’t expect them, and it all makes for a fantastic page-turner!
About The Author
Nicola May is a bestselling author renowned for her heartwarming and humorous romantic comedies. With twenty-two books to her name, her work has captured readers’ hearts around the world, has been translated into fifteen languages and consistently ranks in the top 100 of Amazon’s Kindle bestseller charts. As a self-published author, she achieved the remarkable feat of reaching number one on Amazon twice, and has been a strong advocate for indie authors, pushing for a dedicated chart for them in The Bookseller magazine. Now signed to Storm Publishing, Nicola continues to write heartfelt rom-coms with her signature blend of warmth and wit.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys cream teas in her beloved Devon, hikes through nature, and occasionally places a bet on the horses.
Social Media Links –
i: author_nicola
X: @nicolamay1
f: NicolaMayAuthor
Tiktok: @nicolamayauthor
Giveaway to Win a Signed copy of Cosy Up in Seahaven Bay (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
October – well, it’s definitely autumn, as the nights are drawing in earlier and the mornings darker. Perfect weather for snuggling up with a book, isn’t that right?
I am on the first half-term break of the academic year, and I can honestly say I am SHATTERED! Fewer children, but more that need us on our toes constantly, definitely make me feel my age! (I am also toying with the chance of this being either Fibromyalgia related, or possibly a lack of Vitamin B12, so the Dr is on the case as I am far too tired!)
We had the first anniversary of losing my brother-in-law right at the beginning of the month, which was emotional, as you can imagine, for all the family in different ways. And once term finished, I made sure I spent the first few days back home with my darling parents and Lil Princess decided to join us, too!
Did I write? No… however I did have a wonderful experience at the end of the month, where I visited the gorgeous bookshop of fellow author Kim Nash, and we had a great natter, she met Pops, Mum and Lil Princess, then one of my dreams came true. My three books are sitting on a real life bookstore shelf! Please share in my joy and have a look at my little reel!
So I read and listened as best I could. And I didn’t do too badly, even if I do say so myself! A few festive reads too, to get prepared for the Christmas season that will be upon us before we even know!
Will I ever learn my lesson? Nope, obviously not. Listen to a Ruby Roe in the car, then frantically try to pause it when you remember who is in the passenger seat next to you! 🤦🏾♀️ But seriously, I think this was my favourite Ruby Roe spicy sapphic fiction so far. Dark Academia meets Gothic Fantasy brilliantly, with a lot of sapphic smut on the side. We have angels and demons, mortals and reapers, an academy where a professor finds herself in a relationship with a student, but they are so wrong for each other – as well as being so right. The storyline hooked me completely, and I wasn’t as aware of the naughty bits because I was so mesmerised by what was happening to the characters. The ending was a little devastating, but knowing I have another in the series to listen to gave me the strength to carry on.
Another beautiful story from Karen Swan. This dual timeline follows Lise Erlach, a young woman married to a diplomat in the 60s, living in Paris, and her journey, which is peppered with secrecy and that of her granddaughter, Dulcie, in the present, as she sits by her frail grandmother, awaiting the day they all know is coming. An unexpected visitor for her grandmother, another elderly man who knew her from the Paris days, keeps dropping cryptic hints of a secret he wishes to divulge to Lise only; however, the woman in question is rarely lucid enough to have a conversation. Flashbacks begin to fill the gaps in a complex puzzle Dulcie starts to piece together, ultimately with the help of Alé, a Spanish artist she meets under unexpected circumstances. This book is filled with mystery, espionage, and forbidden love, making it a beautifully tragic page-turner.
I LOVED my first visit to Castle Cove on the Cornish coast. Carrie is a single mother trying to provide for her delightful daughter, Poppy, and hoping for some support from the father, who lets them down at every turn. His disappointment pushes her to take her aunt up on a job at her gorgeous bookshop in Castle Cove over the summer, while her aunt is away. Let’s be honest, a summer in Cornwall is always going to beat London, and what an experience for her little girl, too! Carrie has so many memories from her own childhood holidays there that she wants her own child to experience, and that is exactly what she does. What she doesn’t expect is the connection she feels with Michael, the bookshop’s neighbour, and his teenage daughter, Layla. There are some wonderful scenes involving pets, especially Monty, Michael’s inherited mongrel, running off with Carrie’s bra at the beach, and a haughty cat, also inherited, who adds more drama! I loved every aspect of this book, including the original characters from the cove we get to meet, and knowing there are more stories to come, I knew I’d get to know more of them soon enough!
I was so glad I could jump straight into this second book after reading the first in the series, as all the characters were familiar to me, and I read it in an afternoon, cosy on my sofa, thinking of Christmas! This book focuses on Lucy, the owner of the First Sip Coffee Shop, located right next to the bookshop featured in the first book. We get into the nitty-gritty of the romantic twist pretty fast, as Lucy finds herself in a situation with Dylan, best friend of her best friend’s husband, right at the start of the story. I loved how it all came together in this enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, where things go a little back to front, but as we get to know the characters, we also get to experience some wonderful festive moments as Lucy helps Dylan enjoy Christmas, since he has never had a chance to before. This can be read as a standalone; however, I had picked up on some angst/chemistry between Lucy and Dylan in the first book, so the story felt even more complete for me!
It is always a pleasure to read a Kim Nash book as her stories are filled with characters who you come to care for, and want to know what is going to happen to them. A New Dawn at Brightwater Falls introduces us to a new set of characters, namely three sisters; Imo, Ally and Kate, as well as Dandy, their Godmother and surrogate mother, when their own passed away. Set in Brightwater Falls, the resort was a labour of love for Dandy and the girls’ mother, and now, she needs the girls to help her, after a nasty fall and injury. The story centres around Imo, the youngest of the sisters. Younger by quite a stretch, she spent the longest time with Dandy, especially when her mother passed away, and is the only single one of the three. She has a brilliant career, but feels no sort of approval from her sisters, especially Ally, the older one, who seems to think she is above the others, and Kate appears to be the one who sides with the strongest. Well, that is how the scene is set at the beginning, but through the story, we get to learn more about all three women, and see Imo finally follow her heart in all aspects. There is the expected sisterly angst, as well as a gentle romance, and learning more about the other two sisters makes me wonder whether we will be visiting Brightwater Falls again, soon, with a slightly different POV?
A cute, funny story based around sibling rivalry, a sudden flit, mindfulness, mistaken identity, and life coaching! Nell disappears on her birthday, away from her family and younger sister and arch rival, Ava, when she finds herself losing out to a promotion to her sister and out of a job, too. She ends up in Spain, and plenty of hilarity ensues as she tries to build a new life for herself on a web of lies. I had to giggle when she ends up at a retreat that is less relaxation and more self-flagellation. But she meets someone who gives her all the feels; just the situations she finds herself in don’t always paint her in the best light. She starts a new career as a life coach after a (very brief) online course and finds herself in charge of a business when her boss has to disappear. Then that guy turns up. And her sister, not long after. This was an easy read with a little spice and a lot of laughs.
I am so glad that this was available to read as soon as I finished Architecti, because that was one heck of a cliffhanger we were left with! Still gothic, still fantasy, still spicy, but with added demon and angel energy! This story continues, but instead of focusing only on Midnight and Lucy, we get to know a lot more about Architecti and her twin, Interitus. The story is addictive, and I just had to know how it ends. Of course there was smut. It wouldn’t be Ruby Roe’s book without it, but the whole plot was brilliantly executed.
I really enjoyed the first book in the Empty Nester series, so I dove into this with anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed. A couple celebrating their 19th anniversary finds itself in a rut. A husband who is very busy with work and appears to take his wife and life for granted. A wife who has recently experienced two significant losses: her son disappearing to university and leaving her stable job. An inopportune anniversary present sparks the thought that they are no longer in this marriage for the reasons they were, and so comes the idea to live apart and have 20 special dates to mark the next significant anniversary, to see if they can salvage their marriage. Claire and Mark are such believable and likeable characters, and I challenge most folks of a certain age to say they have never felt taken for granted, and that life is just as it is. The story sees them face challenges, overcome misunderstandings and begin to rediscover the reasons they are together, but not without plenty of will they won’t they moments, too!
I will admit to this being my first Julia Boggia book, though her previous novels are on my TBR. Early autumn, and reading about Christmas, with a Hugh Grant twist, gave me British Hallmark vibes! Henrietta, or Hen, is on the lookout for a real British gentleman to romance her and sweep her off her feet, hopefully with the looks and demeanour of the aforementioned Hugh Grant – partly because of a promise made at a critical time. Hen has an invisible disability, FND, something I hadn’t ever heard of, so this was a mini education in itself. She likes to work from a specific cafe, where she has her ‘people’ who know her, and her condition, and they all want the best for her. She is an American photographer living in London and tasked with getting a good headshot of a rather grumpy American author, Graff. He’s moody, gruff, but hot. If only things weren’t so complicated in the world of Hen. When a ‘perfect’ Lord, Albert, walks into the cafe she frequents, the idea of him really does sweep her off her feet, she is confused, but follows her brain, when he shows interest in her, though her heart may be thinking something else… Okay, so there are the Hallmark vibes here, and though I can confess to not being a big Hugh Grant fan, I can appreciate that for a huge period (namely the 90s), he was that quintessential English hero in all the major movies, so this is a cute/comical addition to the story, especially as Hugh, in different character forms, manages to encroach upon the story regularly. A cute, funny read with British heart and American soul.
Another beautiful, heartwarming Christmas story from Emma Heatherington. I loved this story about two people, both in their mid-30s, and how their connection built. Cara is reeling from her engagement being broken, with no warning. Her family rallies round to support her, and help her put that part of her life to one side. Her work involves inviting influencers to a venue, to give them experiences which will create good content and promotion for the castle. Declan is a single father to Callum, but with a tight blended family situation including Callum’s mother and her husband. Father and son run a successful social media account, after going viral. Cara has sworn off men, and Declan is on a year-long flirting/dating ban, not due to end until Christmas Eve. Well, I am sure you can guess what happens… chemistry, and plenty to stop them, including the pledge of no dating, but you have Christmas fun, and what I really loved was how it went full circle in how and where they reunite. I don’t want to give much away, but it was a very satisfying ending.
I was really looking forward to reading this, having enjoyed Anita Faulkner’s previous novels, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Set in the fictitious town of Hazel Blooms in the Cotswolds, the story centres around Noemi, the owner of a quaint bookshop among a host of other beautiful independent shops. Life is getting hard, financially, and with trying to finance her mother’s residential home costs, as well as running a business, she fears she has failed. Noemi fears change. Or rather, something happened which made her far too cautious about change because of a tragic accident which affected her and her best friend. But something has to give. She needs to find a new USP for her shop and get customers back in. Her talent for baking phenomenal cookies could support the business, but even that is tied to emotional memories. All it takes is a whirlwind of an Irish man, Shay, to whoosh into her life and that of all the locals, with his devil-may-care attitude and his new business that threatens to topple any interest in hers. Only there is a little chemistry bubbling under all the rivalry. I was totally invested in this slow-burn, beautifully festive, cookie-craving-inducing story!
I have wanted to read a book by this author for a while, so I was pleased to receive this ARC We meet the main characters in a prologue scene, when Dina, Lucky, and Arshad are still in college, and it sets the stage for what we know will be a rocky road. When we are brought to the main story, hotshot lawyer Dina is due to be a huge part of her influencer sister Hania’s wedding, and nothing can go wrong – except she is hiding a huge secret from the whole family for fear of how it might look or affect her sister’s special day: she and Arshad are divorced. Through the wedding, she comes into contact with Lucky again, their old college friend, and someone Dina liked a lot at college. Crossed wires, and some of those aforementioned lies surface as the story progresses. Lucky is a guy from a simple family – he’s done well for himself, but his trade is still not what is considered ‘worthy’ by some: a contractor, whereas Dina is working in her family business with her ex-husband, who is bandied about as the perfect partner. I loved all the over-the-top pre-wedding and wedding scenes, and I could feel the tension as Dina fights to keep an enormous secret from everyone while wrestling with her feelings for someone else.
I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in this series, though I totally forgot that I had said I would be prepared for the spice the next time round. I was NOT, lol! And that is my fault. I had a few quick pause moments when listening in the car when I had a passenger with me! 🫣 This book centres around Bennett, a baseball golden boy, who has also been selected as one of three sportsmen, as poster boys for their teams to build positive publicity, so he is volunteering at the zoo, with his two compadres, cutely named the Gladdy Daddies in the previous book, as his guiding lights for his own romantic problem. Namely, he has a HUGE crush on someone he has known for many years: his sister’s best friend, Bower. Not only is she older than him, but she is also out of bounds because of being so close to Bennett’s sister. What follows is a chance move on Bower’s behalf to live closer to where Bennett is, and that is where chemistry begins to occur, but not without its hurdles. Again with the SPICE! 🥵🌶️🥵🌶️🥵🌶️ As things heat up, my, is there some naughtiness going on, as well as crossed wires, angry sisters and a book wagon! Cannot forget that book wagon! This is a real friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance ride!
I am on the blog tour for this wonderful 5-star read in November, so make sure you pop over to see the full review!
I beta-read this for an author friend this month, and it will be out in January. A story based around a woman who finds herself in a wheelchair after a tragic accident. There is sadness, and hope, and a story that leaves hope intact for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
I enjoyed this second book in the Salinger Brothers series, this time centred on Liam, the second-eldest brother, and Sophie, the best friend of one of the MCs in the first book. Liam has a rep for being a bit of a playboy, and only ever spending one night with any woman. He’s gorgeous and has plenty of these women ready to spend that one night with him. Sophie is a meteorologist on the weather team at the local TV station. Somehow, they wake up together after a wedding, and that one-night thing kicks in. But both of them strain to fight a deeper attraction and chemistry that is bubbling over. I loved how protective Liam was of Sophie, and how they both tried so hard to deny any spark, even though it was SOOO obvious! Of course, a little while into the book, the inevitable spice kicks in, and it doesn’t disappoint, either! Though this is part of a series, you can read it as a standalone. However, it’s even more enjoyable with some of the backstory.
I have always enjoyed Rachel Burton’s stories, and Nightingale Hall was a wonderfully nuanced, atmospheric novel that I absolutely loved. A mystery painting, an artist who seems to have disappeared, and a deep, unknown connection keep the pages turning. Rosie is grieving the loss of her darling grandmother, someone who brought her up after her flighty mother kept disappearing and reappearing every few years. The women in the family were strong and independent, and though there were men in their lives, none filled the father-figure gap. A postcard featuring a print of a hauntingly familiar painting and building, found by Rosie while she tries to clear out her grandma’s flat, becomes the catalyst that brings many hushed secrets to the surface, giving Rosie answers to questions she didn’t know she wanted answered. The story uses a dual timeline: Rosie’s POV in the present, and her grandmother’s from the 50s, which continues and morphs into her mother’s as time goes on. The supporting cast was also brilliant, with brief connections to Rosie, her mother, or her grandmother that moved the story along, and a little love interest for Rosie added that romantic touch. I loved this entire premise, and though it is not always pleasant to not know everything about your past, the way Burton unravels and reveals little tidbits within the story, using both the past and the present, I felt Rosie was given a chance to process all the truths in a way that she didn’t find them too much. The women were the stars in this story: strong women with independent souls and minds.
So I read/ listened to 17 books this month, not bad for a busy school month,with a week of hols at the end! Which ones caught your eye?
So Happy to be on the Blog tour for the second of Ko Porteous and her book, The Twenty Dates, the first in the Empty Nesters series.
The Blurb
The kids have left, assuming love endures. But can yours?
Book #2 in The Empty Nesters Series
Claire’s marriage is in (total!) crisis. Her husband, Mark, is distracted, presumptuous, and utterly clueless – smart scales for their 19th wedding anniversary? Really? Perhaps she’d be better off alone. At least there’d be less laundry.
When Claire suggests separating, Mark panics. He asks for one last chance: twenty dates, one for each year of their marriage, to prove they’re better off together than apart.
What follows is a series of adventures Claire never saw coming – some mortifying, some exhilarating, and some that make her question everything she thought she knew. About Mark. About marriage. And about the woman she’s quietly become while she wasn’t paying attention.
As the dates tick down, Claire must decide: is the spark still there – or has their marriage simply run its course?
I really enjoyed the first book in the Empty Nester series, so I dove into this with anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed. A couple celebrating their 19th anniversary finds itself in a rut. A husband who is very busy with work and appears to take his wife and life for granted. A wife who has recently experienced two significant losses: her son disappearing to university and leaving her stable job. An inopportune anniversary present sparks the thought that they are no longer in this marriage for the reasons they were, and so comes the idea to live apart and have 20 special dates to mark the next significant anniversary, to see if they can salvage their marriage. Claire and Mark are such believable and likeable characters, and I challenge most folks of a certain age to say they have never felt taken for granted, and that life is just as it is. The story sees them face challenges, overcome misunderstandings and begin to rediscover the reasons they are together, but not without plenty of will they won’t they moments, too!
About The Author
Ko Porteous lived in a tiny fishing village in northern Scotland before moving to Edinburgh at 10.
Ko loves meeting people with interesting stories to tell and is constantly on the lookout for knotty story themes, particularly involving women navigating the messiness of life. She has worked as a Research Chemist, Assistant Chef, Teacher and School Leader.
As well as writing, Ko works as a Business Manager and provides listening services for a mental health charity aiming to reduce the number of deaths caused by suicide.
In her free time Ko loves to run, meditate and travel; preferably all on the same day.
Ko has been married for 25 years, has 2 children of her own and is now navigating her own empty nest.
The Twenty Dates is Ko’s second novel and the second book in ‘The Empty Nesters’ series.
I’m back with another great blog tour review for my friend, Susan Buchanan and her latest release, A Taste of Christmas Spirit.
The Blurb
CAN LARA ADD A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC THIS CHRISTMAS?
Jacob introduces ever tastier treats to the Sugar and Spice cafe’s menu as the Christmas Spirit knits her magic into the lives of those finding this Christmas tough.
Florence is struggling to make ends meet and afford the present she knows her son wants for Christmas. Her ex-husband flaunting his new girlfriend and their baby isn’t helping her mood.
Widower Jude feels a failure as a father to his two young children after the tragic death of his wife. The move to Winstanton was meant to make life easier. Can he learn to carve out time to build new friendships and give himself the chance to grieve?
Rachel’s boss has given the promotion he promised her to the man twenty years her junior, whom she trained. She’s fed up with being taken for granted, and the lack of sympathy from her husband and teenage children.
Retired David feels Grinch-like as his son expects him to look after his grandchildren all the time, without taking his life into consideration. He used to love Christmas, but this year it has lost its sparkle.
Can the warm welcome at the Sugar and Spice café help them find their Christmas spirit?
A feel-good festive romance with a heartwarming community and a generous helping of Christmas spirit!
A Dash of Christmas Spirit is the second in the series I have read, and I was excited to see what Lara got up to as she spread Christmas Joy in her inimitable way. We return to the Sugar And Spice Cafe and meet lots of old friends, as well as new ones like Florence, a single mother struggling to give her son what she knows he wants, with no support from her ex. And then there is widower Jude, arriving in the town with his two children, trying to make fresh memories while honouring the one they have lost. Rachel is another main character, a working wife and mother, overlooked for promotion after many years in her job, and feeling unfulfilled. Finally, there is David, an older man and grandfather with so much love to give, but he feels used by his son and daughter-in-law as convenient childcare while they live their lives as if without children or responsibility. They cross paths at the cafe and in other places, and Lara watches; you know she has hopes, plans, and ideas to help them fulfil their dreams. This is such a wonderful festive read, and you know there will be a positive ending, but not without a few confusions and hiccups. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit, A Taste of Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, The Leap Year Proposal, You Can’t Hurry Love and The Boulangerie on the Corner.
As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador.
When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out.
Giveaway toGiveaway to Win A Signed and dedicated paperback of A Dash of Christmas Spirit with matching bookmark (Open to UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
September came, and so did the new school year. And year 51 for me, too! My birthday was a lovely time, with lots of love from family, friends and colleagues, and we had a lovely meal out at a restaurant, Coco Asia, a fusion place. (Not-so) Lil Man was thrilled that he was able to arrange this meal as it was a place he frequents regularly with clients, and he does love being a bit of a big shot, lol!
Lil Princess has started a job, too, which is pretty big for her, as well as continuing to take her driving lessons. The countdown is on for when my Mum Taxi duties are almost redundant!
School – well, what can I say? I must admit to feeling my post-half-century age when working with the little ones. They are gorgeous in many ways, but such hard work, and I know I reiterate this every year, but it is flabbergasting how many parents send their children to preschool/school with not many of the skills they should be taught at home. We have twins who are such funny characters – they are identical, and constantly on the go, but they are also not toilet trained fully, plus when one goes, the other does – synchronised! I have never seen anything like it! One is getting the hang of it, and kind of indicates she needs to go. As we rush her to the loo, we have to get the other one, as she hasn’t a clue and will just wet herself, or plonk herself on the toilet without pulling down her pants! And they aren’t the only ones! Some behaviours aren’t fantastic, and we can see where parents may have been giving in to keep the peace rather than setting boundaries, so that’s another nut to crack! But, all in all, it’s not bad. We aren’t full, either, so imagine what it would be like with a full cohort!
As a result, I have been exhausted every night. It is unbelievable: the tiredness from work mixed in with Perimenopausal symptoms, and fibromyalgia flare-ups, as well as this wonderful plantar fasciitis I have in my heel. I haven’t walked as much as I had hoped, but I have to listen to my body, and walk when I feel able.
Did I write? Around 100 words… but that is something, eh!
So I read and listened as best I could. And I didn’t do too badly
If you love a bit of Bridgerton, then this may be right up your street! Alice, our MC, is a young lady who finds she needs to marry, whether she wants to or not, for her family’s sake. She heads off from the one place she feels most secure, her countryside home, surrounded by nature and her horses, to London, to live with her aunt for a season, to procure herself the proposal that she hopes will secure everyone’s future. The thing is, it is not proper for her to be unescorted, and as her brother is now head of the family and busy dealing with estate issues, his rather annoying Earl of a best friend, Anthony, volunteers to step into the chaperone’s shoes, much to Alice’s disdain. You can feel the chemistry and attraction, but it is fun to read how they keep avoiding the elephant in the room. And then, as you learn more about Anthony’s situation, another layer of confusion kicks in, and as a reader, you wonder how the couple you know should be together, get their happy ending, as well as honouring the predicament he is in, too. I loved this easy-to-read enemies-to-lovers story, with a bit of proximity thrown in. Regency-era books always capture my attention!
Oh, my, when a book resonates, it REALLY resonates, and this was one of them! A brilliant read for those perimenopausal, menopausal, and possibly post-menopausal women out there! Nell is a woman of a certain age, in her fifties, divorced, and grandmother to young Freddie. Somehow she has the inability to control her rage and blows up at the slightest inclination, so her daughter subtly buys her a package at the local Rage Room – a place where a person can smash the whole room to smithereens while letting some of that anger out. She has pent-up PTSD from an incident when she was much younger, anger at how her husband treated her, frustration with her new boss, Adrian, and even though she tries to control it, sometimes it’s like a match brought too close, and she blows. Often in inappropriate situations, but also when she’s had enough and simply cannot keep her frustrations in. Whether it is rage or a chance to vent, Nell discovers the satisfaction in ranting, too, and brings on board a few different females to share her newfound therapy! The book deals with so much, from misogyny to how invisible women of this age feel, and I could totally relate. Now, where’s my nearest Rage/Rant room?
The blurb made Noya’s story sound good. A young Indian woman travels around India alone to forget her woes after a broken engagement, and she encounters a guy who keeps popping up to either antagonise or help her. She is convinced he is a stalker, or someone hired by her family to monitor her. Ranbir turns out to be a genuinely good guy, and then it is up to Noya to decide whether to follow her head or her heart. On the face of it, a fantastic idea and story. The storytelling was slightly stilted, a bit simplistic, and unrealistic at the same time. Not a bad story. But not the best, either.
I enjoyed this new read by Amanda James, having read many of her books before. Eve moves to the coast after a settled thirty years in a different location, leaving her beloved bakery business behind, and meets an inquisitive neighbour, Ruth, who introduces her to a little magic at the bottom of her garden. As the story unfolds, their friendship circle grows, and a local legend involving a circle of hag stones casts its magic. Each of the women has a reason that they are drawn to this friendship circle, and together the five women make many changes for the better. Though the pages reveal loss and grief, they also offer plenty of positivity, making it an easy read. Is it realistic? Maybe not, but then we often reach for a book to take us out of reality to a place where things do have a happy ending, and this is that kind of book. This one is lovely and full of whimsy.
I love Evie Woods’ stories, filled with whimsy and a little paranormal twist. This time, our FMC, Edith, ends up in what she thinks will be her fresh start in Paris, but she gets her wires crossed and lands in a small town an hour from the French capital, working in a strange little bakery with a huge secret. I loved how she slowly pieced together tidbits and worked out the entire history of the quaint boulangerie and its fascinating story, along with the romantic twist added by her encounters with Henry.
Another fab story to add to the Nosy Parker series, with a murderous Halloween mystery to solve, entwined with a different story about a convent where girls were brought to have babies in secret. Creepy dolls appearing, nooses, and then a body! I enjoyed reading Jodie’s adventures as a not-quite-police-officer with her DCI hubby, Nathan!
This was my first experience with Carrie Elk’s books, and I will be back for more! The first in this series follows Ava and Myles. Enemies at work, then forced to work together, with an unexpected twist: Myles agrees to be a sperm donor for Ava’s long-awaited child. It has enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity, and I loved how they ultimately got to know one another; Ava found herself falling for the man she thought she hated, and Myles realised there was more than sexual tension between them. A little far-fetched? Possibly. But isn’t that why we read romances? For the HEA.
A Winter’s Trail is a slow-moving mystery that turns into a romance. Faith has recently lost her father, a famous TV personality and historian, and discovers he left her a small task. Unaware of the trail’s purpose, she visits five specific churches, as requested, with the help of George, a Welsh guide her best friend insisted she use. Forced proximity keeps them together, and you can feel the chemistry between them. The trail’s mystery, though, is bewildering. We learn a lot about Faith’s father’s philanthropy along the way, but that still isn’t the main revelation. It was a little slower than my recent reads, and the addition of a rather eccentric pup definitely added some laughs.
Another fantastic read and addition to the Hart’s Ridge series by Kay Bratt. This time, though, we follow our Sheriff Taylor Grey through an investigation regarding the sad death/ murder of a young pregnant woman; there is considerable time spent on the story of Tula Rose, a character introduced in several books previously, and her own family predicament. It sets the scene for the story to come. I always love Kay’s writing, and since each story has a little root in truth, it flowers with her imagination; it makes the reading more powerful.
Book 17 in the Hart’s Ridge series still carries Kay Bratt’s inimitable style, but with a little twist: Sam, Sheriff Taylor Grey’s husband, ends up in the limelight, and she takes a backseat. We also change locations as a case Sam works on as a private investigator takes him out of town. A man went missing, presumed dead, eight months ago, and his brother feels there is unfinished business. He arrives on the Gulf Coast, staying in one of the marina cottages, looked after by Daniel and Tula, a couple of characters from previous books. As they learn why he is there, Daniel enlists Sam’s help and, inadvertently, Taylor’s, to dig a little deeper. What was meant to be a little family break for Taylor and Sam ends when she rushes back with the children, leaving Sam to continue his investigation. Inconsistent evidence, intriguing answers, unexplainable phone calls – all these things help Sam and the team to find out what really happened to Wade. Along the way, we meet the cute Danny Boy, nephew and adopted son of Tula and Daniel, as well as Daniel’s sister Josie and Wade’s brother Walker, where a bit of romance may or may not blossom. But we end on another cliffhanger! Kay! Oh my! At least I know another Hart’s Ridge book is coming!
I have to admit I haven’t read The Henna Artist, the book that precedes this story, yet it didn’t detract from my engagement with it. If anything, it made me want to read it ASAP so I could understand some elements mentioned in The Secret Keeper. The story is set in two very different parts of India: Simla and Jaipur. Simla is a picturesque mountain area known for its cold, beautiful scenery, and Jaipur is hot and known for its history and opulence. Malik is one of the POVs we follow. He is an orphan who has lived with Lalita for many years, like a surrogate son to her, and she has ensured he completes his education, wanting to give him every opportunity to succeed in life. She sends him to Jaipur, the town they both came from, to learn another business, where the Maharani of Jaipur is involved in building a new cinema with the latest technology. He leaves behind Nimmi, a young widow, a tribal woman who has left her tribe and their ways to support herself and her two children in Simla. As he meets old friends and contacts, he writes regularly to Nimmi, missing her simple ways, but since she cannot read, Lalita, his Lady Boss, reads the letters to her. The other two POVs are Lalita and Nimmi. A huge tragedy starts the story, and the rest of it recalls the buildup and then the ensuing investigations taken on by Malik and, later, Lalita to find out the truth. I was engrossed in the whole story and look forward to reading the first book, and the one that comes after!
I was looking forward to diving into this after having read Jennifer Page’s previous cafe-related series, and I was not disappointed, Louise, the FMC, has fled London and her prized job as an editor, after making an epic mistake and arrived back in her hometown, Applethwaite, to seek solace in a familiar place, near her mother. Only to find herself back at the bakery her family has run for two generations, and she knows her mother hopes she will continue the business now that she is back. Poor Louise had a few dilemmas to solve, as well as meeting old and new faces, some more welcome than others. Her ex-stepdaughter, Maddie, also turns up and becomes a genuine support as she tries to decide what she really wants in life. Then there is Jack, or Giacomo, the gorgeous Italian/Yorkshireman, who is there to support his ailing father. There is chemistry, along with questions from both of them, as each hides a secret eating at them inside. I loved how Louise finally followed her dreams and managed to encompass the hopes of her mother with her bookshop bakery, as well as finding happiness in other areas of her life, and I have to say, I would love to visit somewhere like her new business venture!
13 books read this month! Which one caught your eye?
