But I Smile Anyway…

Can you believe February has come to a close? And one with an extra day thrown in for reading, since it was a Leap Year!

I guess the big question is, what did I read, and did I continue to get words down?

I started the month with 6 NetGalley ARCs and around another 50K to write on book three…

I ended with 5 NetGalley arcs, a poetry book to read for a friend, and around 30k to write on book 3. That’s not too bad, considering I read 8 arcs this month, so it is my problem of accepting arcs to read that means my actual TBR is not getting any smaller!

Shout Out To My Ex by Sandy Barker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sandy Barker is another of my ‘Must Read’ authors. Having read the first in the Ever After Agency series with much joy, it was a no-brainer to read the second, Shout Out To M Ex.
Cassie loves her fashion designer sister, Elle, very much and hates seeing her failing in her relationship goals, even though her professional star is rising. She contacts the agency to see if they can help her locate and possibly reignite a flame that burned bright and then extinguished ten years ago, suddenly.
To put it plainly, she wants them to find Elle’s first love, Leo, who, despite them being love’s dream for four years, suddenly upped and left, with no contact. It seems Elle cannot move forward in love unless she gets closure or finds the one who got away.
But this all needs to be done secretively.
Engineering a meeting between Elle and Lorenzo (Leo) is the first step once he has been located. The rest just gets better and better as we learn more about Leo, his reasons for disappearing for such a long time, and the wily ways of PR managers as they twist the truth to benefit their clients.
Set in the dramatic, colourful world of fashion, we see so much uncovered as Poppy, Nasrin, and the gang at the agency come up with ideas to overcome the endless blocks that keep being thrown at them, including a fake engagement.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Elle and Leo’s story and felt all the butterflies with Elle as she navigated her feelings towards the one who got away.
Though it can be read easily as a standalone, I loved that we were revisiting the story of Poppy, who works at the elite matchmaking agency, as well as coming on board for another matchmaking journey that she has been tasked with piloting, and Tristan, her husband, who, she meets and marries in the first book.
And it; is always great to read about other key characters who were in past books.
Roll on book 3!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC

Released 14th February, 2024

The Bordeaux Book Club: A BRAND NEW gorgeous, escapist romance from TOP TEN BESTSELLER Gillian Harvey for 2024 by Gillian Harvey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love books, and I’m rather partial to a Gillian Harvey story. So when you combine the two, there is no way I’m going to pass up reading it. And when the Bordeaux Book Club popped up, it was an immediate must-read.
Set in Bordeaux and surrounding areas, five ex-pats begin to meet up for a book club. They feel more comfortable communicating through their mother tongue rather than stumbling through a French one, murdering the language as they go.
Grace is a fifty-something woman who is a bit of an enigma. She lives alone, is well-established in the area and has her fingers in all the pies, seemingly knowing everyone and everything. The book club is her initial idea.
Leah is a wife and mum to a sullen teenage daughter. She’s moved here with her family with the idea of living a sustainable life, growing their own produce to eat and sell, chickens for eggs, etc., but not everything is falling into place as easily as they hoped. Grace is her acquaintance, and she goes along to support her.
George is in the middle of a job, renovating a property for a client and living in the area for around a year. He doesn’t know many people and decides the Book Club might be an interesting place to meet others.
Monica is a young mum. Her husband’s job has brought them to the area, living in a beautiful apartment, but unfortunately this job also leaves her alone with their new baby for long stretches of time. The book club feels like a way to reconnect with adults rather than have a life filled with the four walls of her home and only a baby for company.
Alfie is a young man who moved to Bordeaux with his mum. He’s quiet and an unlikely participant in the book club. He keeps himself to himself, but a series of strange phone calls and a slip of the tongue from his girlfriend, Camille, bring his own tragic situation to the forefront.
Each member has his or her own tale to tell, which unravels as the story is told while the books are discussed within the book club. And it is beautiful to see how friendships are forged between some unlikely characters and how they become support networks for one another.
Another emotion-filled tale with such a wide range of characters that there is someone there for most readers to identify with. I, for one, was drawn to Leah, who is feeling a bit lost, but it is her struggles to deal with her teenage daughter that really hit home with me.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.



View all my reviews

Releasing March 15th, 2024

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a novel concept for a book in which Lauren, the MC, somehow ends up with an attic that keeps generating new husbands for her.
Lauren is an unmarried young woman coming home from an innocent night out with her friends when she stumbles up the stairs to her flat and finds a random stranger already in her home.
After a bit of confusion, she discovers that she is in an alternate universe where she is married, but she can’t remember how or when she met her husband, their wedding, or anything else.
Then she finds out that the attic is doing a ‘thing’, where if the husband disappears up there, he disappears, sending her another in his place.
It’s not like Groundhog Day, where you relive the same 24 hours again and again. Instead, life continues, and her life changes with every husband’s change.
I was intrigued by the whole idea of this. She could search and search for perfection, sending the faulty hubby back to the attic for another, but let’s be honest. It’s not a sustainable life? Is it?
I loved reading and just had to get to the end to find out what Lauren chooses to do because I’m not sure I could live an infinite loop of husbands…
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

Releasing 4th April, 2024

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

TW: Domestic Abuse
Oh, what a sensitively written, tragically beautiful book!
We start off with the main character, Shelley, slowly waking up in the hospital.
As she comes around, she slowly pieces together information regarding how she ended up in the ICU of her local hospital.
But a huge chunk of her life has been erased. In fact, she believes it is 2017 when it is actually 2024.
There is a dual timeline as we see how Shelley’s life progresses, from childhood to the cyclical life patterns that abusive relationships can trigger.
I don’t want to go into much detail, but it is truly sad to see how she finds herself in a situation much like her mother and the end result. However, as we read on, there are silver linings which give us and her hope.
There are some wonderful supporting characters that grace the pages of this book, from Granny Rose to Shelley’s best friend, Dee, and then there’s Matt. Another beautiful soul whose importance in her life becomes clearer as the story progresses.
I loved this so much I read it in a day!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 6th April, 2024

Funny Story by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was extremely excited to be approved for this arc, seeing as I have loved all of Emily Henry’s books so far.
We fall into this ‘funny’ story with our main character, Daphne, having just found out her fiance, Peter, is breaking up with her and getting together with Petra, his childhood best friend. What’s ‘funnier’ is that she ends up moving in with Miles, who happens to be the guy Petra broke up with in order to get together with Peter.
Daphne is a woman who’s had a lot thrown at her in life, with an absent father and a long list of places she and her mother moved to over the years. The one constant in her life was books. And her job as a librarian is perfect for her. She’s used to disappointment and not feeling good enough.
Then, when things start to change with regard to her feelings for Miles, who happens to be rather hot and is living in the room next door, she isn’t sure if this is the right thing to happen or not.
I don’t want to regurgitate the story, but what I will say is that it was filled with lots of brilliant, imperfect characters, and oh, my, the spice was definitely present in a few scenes! I had to shield my Kindle away from other train passengers when reading one particular scene! (And my face!)
A fantastically written story about a woman who needs to learn to trust again and to believe in herself and the people around her who really do care. And to remember that we never know what will happen next, but we cannot live afraid of ‘what ifs’. We all have our own way of telling our story…
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC.

Releasing 25th April, 2024

Love at First Knight by Megan Clawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Falling Hard For The Royal Guard was a fun book to read, so when I saw that Megan Clawson had another book coming, I was keen to read it.
Centred around the Tower of London, again, Love at First Knight is the story of Daisy, a LARPing enthusiast.
Well, her and her whole family.
Daisy is a simple girl, nothing to write home about, looks-wise, quiet, shy and boring in her eyes, who finds it increasingly difficult to deal with social situations, instead finding solace in her little job helping her father in his ‘hobby’ shop in a sleepy Lincolnshire village and taking the form of her LARP character, Lady A. But then, her twin brother throws a curveball, finding an advert for a job in London that he feels she would be perfect at, helping at a Knight School at the Tower of London for the summer.
After a lot of persuasion, she finally took the steps to build her confidence and took the job. But she doesn’t foresee the one big possible hindrance.
Viscount Theodore Fairfax.
A spoilt media-hungry royal, she ends up being assigned to mentor.
A pompous royal who seems to find pleasure in causing her discomfort.
A rude royal who tramples over others’ emotions with no apparent realisation of what he leaves in his wake.
A handsome royal who can’t help but get under her skin.
Okay, so I won’t rehash the story. After all, this is a review, not a synopsis! But it was an entertaining read.
Daisy is a character who appears to have some form of neurodiversity, meaning she finds it hard in social situations and has a fear of being out there. Of being herself.
Theodore, or Teddy, as he becomes affectionately known, is another kind of character. He shows the darker side of being a part of a famous family.
And then there is the inevitable happily ever after, attained after a complex set of events.
I love the historical details woven into the threads of the story, as well as the detailing about LARPing. It all sounds like a right larp; sorry, lark!
There is a colourful cast of supporting characters, including Bobble, Daisy’s London flatmate, who is as eccentric as she is loveable.
A little unbelievable, but hey, that’s what stories are for, aren’t they? To take us out of the realms of our boring normality so we can live a modern fairytale as we dive into our books?
If you like a bit of a fairytale, then I would recommend this. I certainly enjoyed it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC.

Releasing 25th April, 2024

A Wedding in the Sun by Leonie Mack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve read a few of Leoni Mack’s books, and I love the feel-good factor and armchair travel involved, as well as the hefty dose of romance and tension within.
A Wedding In The Sun is no different in those areas, but there is a totally different kind of enemies-to-lovers/forbidden love scene going on here.
We are given a dual POV of Jo and Adrián, two people being forced to go to the wedding of their exes to one another, and a calamitous journey that should have taken a couple of hours lasts days, with so many unfortunate incidents peppered throughout, including a storm, lost luggage, a lift with Godspeed bikers, hospitals, the police, that it is a miracle that they arrive at their final destination!
But you come to love Jo, a woman of a certain age who has finally realised she needs closure and to learn to live for herself, too.
And Adrián would light a fire under anyone, let’s be honest. A Spanish longhaired hunky dude who plays guitar and is a fantastically loving father, on top.
Throw in two temperamental teens and a young child who is filled with confusion, seeing his divorced parents develop different lives adds more layers.
Oh, and the fiery Catalonian temperament of the Spanish family gives it a good sprinkle of heat, too!
Beautiful descriptions of the different places they have to stay, as well as the simmering tension between the two, make this a fantastic read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 17th May, 2024

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, what a brilliant book!
I wouldn’t have put it down if I had an empty day because I loved every minute of this story.
Delphie, our unfortunate heroine (I say unfortunate because of the situation she finds herself in), begins the story tragically by dying on us readers, literally within the first few paragraphs!
The story follows her attempt to get her life back after being set an interesting, and maybe impossible, challenge by her afterlife coach.
You see, she meets her soulmate in the corridors of the afterlife before he is somehow snatched from her. She is given an opportunity to live again if she can find this man back in the alive world within ten days and she can get him to kiss her.
I shall not tell you about the story. What kind of review would it be, if I just added all manner of spoilers, but what I will say is that this is a proper romcom! I laughed, cried, and awwed many times!
The supporting cast of characters is brilliant, too, with Mr Yoon, Dephie’s non-verbal neighbour, Cooper, the neighbour she never thought she’d want to know, and her colleagues at the pharmacy where she works.
How she accomplishes her task is a bit mad, and all without telling anyone exactly what she is doing and why, because, let’s face it, who’s going to believe a woman who says she’s come back from the dead and just needs a kiss to stay alive?
Such a fun read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

Releasing 20th June, 2024

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

The first month of the year has flown by, hasn’t it? I cannot believe we are in 2024, now!

I started the year with a few ARC requests that I was waiting on, one sitting waiting to be read, and one I hadn’t quite finished last year… I end the month with a few more.

I also promised myself that I would prioritize my writing over reading.

Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean I am going to stop reading! I couldn’t exist without the wonderful worlds created by other authors. It’s just that last year was such a crazy time in my life that my own writing took a real hit.

So, I am still reading ARCS and my other books, obviously, but I will be getting through them a little slower. My Goodreads goal is at 52, and if I go over, all well and good, but I won’t beat myself up if I don’t.

Point in case – 7 this month, but also almost 30K written by me, too, so I’d count that as a WIN!

The Dubrovnik Book Club: Escape to Croatia and join a new book club with friends, favourite reads and a mystery to unravel in 2024… by Eva Glyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderfully told story set in the city of Dubrovnik. Claire has come to live with her grandparents after suffering the aftereffects of Long Covid for far too long. Here, she has a job to manage a small bookstore with one employee, Luna.
They host a book club, and strong friendships are forged through this meeting. Karmela, a professor, is a reluctant member. Vedran, Claire’s cousin, is another person who is only there to support his cousin and would much rather be back in his apartment alone.
Each of these four characters has a history they are either trying to escape or a secret they need to be able to open up about. Through the book club, the characters become closer, but not without their own ups and downs, and help one another to come to terms with their lives.
So many heartrending issues are touched upon within this book: loss, grief, being unable to be yourself, LGBTQ and religion, and all handled with sensitivity.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the whole story, as well as learning more about a beautifully historic place: Dubrovnik.
It was part of a series, but I didn’t need to read the first at all, so it was a great stand-alone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC.

Releasing 8th March, 2024

The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tulsi Gupta is training to take over the mantle from her grandmother in their family trade. The Gupta women are spice healers, using Ayurveda to suggest blends of spices to customers to ease aches and pains and ailments and to give them a chance to better their health and well-being.
They also operate their small one-shop business, Rasa, in Salem, a town known for witchcraft.
The thing is, Aruna Ba, and Devi, Tulsi’s mother, feel the spice healing running through their blood. Tulsi? Not so much. She’s never known anything other than working alongside her tiny family but has resisted the final test her grandmother wants her to take, which would show she is ready to be an official spice healer.
Keeping their centuries-old skills and knowledge to themselves, they advise those who come in. It’s a small business with a true personal touch.
Then social media happens. An influencer happens upon their store, and despite them asking her not to publicise their business, things snowball to uncontrollable levels.
Every family has secrets, and the Gupta women are no different. As Tulsi uncovers different snippets of her family history she had no idea about, she begins to dig deeper.
Meanwhile, in her personal life, Tulsi has her own worries. She wants to get away, whereas her grandmother is eager for her to find love so she can birth the next generation of spice-healing Gupta women. And there is someone, Lucay, but she’s not convinced she should get involved with anyone else, especially given the ‘curse’ on the women of her family.
I don’t want to say more about the story, as you should read it for yourself, but something that hit home greatly was how cultural appropriation could warp the simplest, most innocent traditions that people in different parts of the world have been practising for generations.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, filled with cultural snippets I could identify with, and the power of belief, friendship, family, and social media are all explored in a sensitive manner.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.

Releasing 11th June, 2024

Island in the Sun by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have always enjoyed Fforde’s writing, and Island in the Sun was no different.
A young woman with a passion and talent that she is unable to publicise to her family ends up in a situation where her talent is what can save a situation.
Cass visits her father on the remote Scottish Isle where he lives. While there, he requests that she complete a special photography mission for her on the island of Dominica.
She ends up travelling there with Ranaulph, a friend of her father’s. Though he is a bit older than her, she feels a connection.
While over there, they encounter disaster, which overshadows her reason for going there, and in the end, she uses her hidden talent to save the day.
She meets some interesting characters along the way, some of whom impact her life for good.
I’m not going to recount the story here, for it doesn’t end there. Plenty happens to keep a reader captivated. Will she find love? Will she be able to admit to her passion?
The descriptions of the beautiful island made me want to visit straight away, despite the hurricanes that can hit!
Another captivating Katie Fforde story, and made all the more interesting knowing her connection to Dominica.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

Releasing 15th February, 2024

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nuclear Family is a very different story to In At The Deep End, the debut by Kate Davies.
Where there was a bit of a steamy shock factor in the first, this was something family-based but just as interesting.
A Christmas present in the form of a DNA test from Lena, one of a twin, to her father causes the beginning of a ripple effect of occurrences, as Tom is forced to admit he is not the genetic father to her and her sister, Alison. They were conceived using donor sperm.
Both girls are in very different situations as it is. Lena is married, as is Alison, but Alison and her wife are trying for a baby using donor sperm. The news sends them in very different directions. Alison is not interested in her genealogy, but Lena can’t help herself. After taking the DNA test herself, she discovers a half-sibling and then becomes obsessed with finding him.
I really enjoyed the story told from all three perspectives: Tom, Lena and Alison.
There were many questions that came to the surface regarding the ethics of egg and sperm donation and how both the donor and the children that result from it might feel.
A great read that had a good ending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC.

Releasing 15th February, 2024

Invitation to Italy by Victoria Springfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do love to travel. But life means I don’t get the chance to go to all the places I’d love to visit. Thank goodness for books, eh? Stories set in other far-flung places and ones closer to home but still unvisited mean I get to expand my travel horizons a bit further, and to find another author with the ability to transport me is always a blessing.
This was my first Victoria Springfield book; I can safely say it will not be the last.
Abi is a single mum, aching from the break-up of her marriage, even though it was five years ago. Her ex, Alex, is firmly ensconced in a relationship with Marina, the woman he left her for, and they have what Abi considers to be their longed-for second child, Elsa, without her as the mother. She finds herself distraught at the thought of her daughter, Chloe, going on holiday for the whole summer to visit Marina’s family on Procida, a small island off the coast of Italy.
A bit of lateral thinking from Abi’s best friend, Cherry, and soon Abi finds herself on a flight to Procida to see how her daughter is. She stays at the stunning Hotel Paradiso, ably run by sixty-something Loretta.
What I loved about this book was that several stories ran parallel. We have the POVs of characters other than Abi, including Loretta, who has secrets and barriers to overcome, and Flavia, Marina’s mother, who provides the backstory for another tale of heartache.
The descriptions of the different parts of Procida and the surrounding areas were worded in a way I could just see myself standing there, viewing the pastel-coloured buildings and the dark volcanic sand.
There is subtle romance that kicks in, as the story flows, for more than one person, as well as seeing the development of relationships between mothers and their children. A delightful read that has made me want to visit Italy and its hidden delights even more!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC.

Releasing 14th March, 2024

Seven Summers by Paige Toon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, so after reading this, I am almost ashamed to admit that I haven’t read any Paige Toon books before. There is no specific reason, other than I have had so many others to read, that I haven’t got round to reading them.
However, and it’s a big however, I shall be hunting down her back catalogue after reading Seven Summers.
Talk about an author putting you through the rinse cycle about a MILLION times!
The story centres around Liv, a young woman living in St Agnes, Cornwall. She has come back after her studies, fully ready to embrace the life of a hopefully full-time sculptor.
She meets Finn, an acquaintance from secondary school, and they hit it off. Thing is, they want very different things from life, and though they are perfect for one another, there are many reasons why they can’t be in the same place all the time.
Both characters have tragedy etched in their souls that they support one another with, but equally, both have responsibilities and dreams that tear them apart.
Over six years, they are drawn together like magnets each summer, then pulled apart.
Except on the seventh, when Liv meets a stranger, Tom, who looks set to break this cycle of not quite toxic but unhealthy and unmanageable emotion.
I really don’t want to reiterate the story in this review, but I will say that I highly recommend reading this book.
Yes, there is loss, and yes, there are struggles, but there is genuine happiness and love, too.
Be ready to have your heart quivering with anticipation as it sings, then cries with heartbreak, only to rise again before a fall and then come full circle again to happiness.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House, UK, for an ARC.

Releasing 28th March, 2024

At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another amazingly told story by Jenni Keer is about a young woman swept up in a web of secrets spun by her father and others.
Set in the 1920s, we meet Pearl Glenham, a simple woman who asks for nothing. She and her father are invited to a dinner party somewhere she has never heard of- apparently, neither has her father.
Things start to become strange after they arrive, and she suspects she is not being told the truth. Then, a chance accident leads to her reliving the same 24 hours again and again as she tries her hardest to work out what is really going on.
An intriguing cast of characters, and an amazing storyline. I was hooked!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 12th March, 2024

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

2023… I read many, many books, which were wonderful, but I am glad to see the end of you, as a year. It’s not been my best… Goodreads I completed 157 books this year, and that isn’t counting some I proof read or read as an alpha reader! When they send me my update, I’ll be sure to share!

I’m starting the month with no arcs… You know it won’t last. It never does! (Okay, so there were at least 7 by the end of the month that were arcs!)

Small Hours by Bobby Palmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isaac and the Egg was a brilliant read, making me eager to get into this second novel by Bobby Palmer.
Jack is a man who thinks he’s got everything he wants in life until he doesn’t. His job suddenly disappears, and then he gets a call to scare him. His mother has disappeared.
Somewhere along the way, he saves a fox, who ends up following him as he goes to help his sister in finding his mother. Once home it becomes apparent how distant his relationship with his father has become.
I don’t want to go into it too much, but just, WOW!
A delicate, unique way of detailing the complex relationship of a father and son, with the added bonus of a talking fox!
Palmer has an intriguing writing style, and the book’s different voices are highlighted in different ways through the prose format.
It may not be for everyone, but if it is for you, it is guaranteed to be a hit!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for an ARC.

Releasing 14th March, 2024

The Lifeline by Tom Ellen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book so much!
The scene is set five years ago with a young journalist and the lead singer of an up-and-coming band meeting at an interview and hitting it off in multiple ways.
Fast forward to the present.
Annie is stuck in a mediocre job for an online website, writing content that is nothing groundbreaking. Then her boss throws her a lifeline, but it means interviewing someone she really doesn’t want to.
Will is in a dead-end job, barely existing, and he spends his spare time helping out on an anonymous crisis line. This wasn’t the life he dreamed of.
Through twists of fate, Annie and Will end up on the phone, unidentified, and they develop a strong bond despite not knowing anything about one another.
But fate has other ideas…
I was gripped through the whole story and whizzed through it in a day. As a reader, you know what you want to happen, but you have to see the grizzly bits through first until fate finally delivers!
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC.

Releasing 29th February, 2024

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book!
I love GBBO as much as anyone else, and preparing to read a story based on a similar programme excited me. But the biggest pull was that the main character was a woman in her senior years.
Jenny Quinn is seventy-seven years old. She doesn’t feel like she has achieved much in her life, apart from being a brilliant baker, her husband of fifty-nine years, Bernard, would agree. As would her neighbours and family, who are treated to her baking delights regularly.
She watches Britan Bakes regularly, and this year, something prompted her to apply. She is probably the most shocked when she is invited to an audition. Keeping that a secret is one of the hardest things for her, as she hides nothing from Bernard.
Well, almost nothing. There is one more secret. Something huge that eats away at Jenny. It is revealed in short bursts through the story, as we see Jenny’s journey through the contest, how she has to deal with modern life alongside her traditional way of baking and living, and how she interacts with the different people she meets along the way.
I don’t quite know how to praise this book as much as I want to. I loved it. Jenny is a beautiful character, as is Bernard. I already recommended this one to my mum!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for an ARC.

Releasing 28th March, 2024

Starting Over by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With this eighth instalment in the Hart’s Ridge series, Kay Bratt has done it again!
We have each family member beginning to move forward in their disrupted lives, and of course, there is an awful case that Taylor has to help solve, too.
Initially, this was meant to be the last in the series, but I am thankful that Bratt has decided to continue for now with another story in the series, and now I can’t wait for that, too!

Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories.: A gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers. by Val Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve not read Val Penny’s books as yet, but I was sent this collection, and I must say that this collection of stories has whetted my appetite for the different series Penny writes.
Each of the stories hook you in. Some are slightly longer, involving two of Penny’s famous DIs, and some are shorter, but each story is captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed each one!
It has made me want to add the rest of Penny’s books to my neverending TPR pile!

Out 16th January, 2024. Bettina will be joining me for a Book and a Brew in January, so I will share my review then!

The Household by Stacey Halls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read The Familiars, I was intrigued to read another of Stacey Halls’s historical books, and The Household did not disappoint.
With a base planted in truth, Halls adds a layer of imagination to the story of Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women, Urania Cottage, backed by Miss Burdett-Coutts and some of its earliest (fictitious) residents.
In the 1800s, Dickens had the idea of creating this refuge or home to rehabilitate those known as fallen women, teaching them household jobs and skills, with a view to transporting them to Australia to start new lives.
In reality, he had much to do with choosing the women granted access to this opportunity. In the book, we don’t see much of Dickens. The story revolves around the girls who are the first residents and their backstories, as well as the horrific stalking that Angela Burdett-Coutts experienced for a length of time.
The historical aspect of the story, peppered with facts but liberally seasoned with fiction leaves readers with a wonderful reading experience.
And a mention of Gravesend (my home for 20 years!) at the end made my day!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC.

Releasing 11th April, 2024

Christmas at the Keanu Kindness Café by Isabella May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Evie meets Joe while she is dressed as the Sugarplum Fairy and he the Nutcracker. Sounds like it was meant to be from the off… however, if that were that, we would be finished within the first couple of chapters.
No. Evie is not feeling things at work as an editor or in her personal life. The chance meeting with the fancy-dressed Joe sparks a moment of reprieve until he disappears.
Disheartened, she takes extended leave from her job and disappears to Glastonbury, recommended by a work colleague, Milly.
There, she meets a host of intriguing characters who take an interest in her life, and she is led to the Keanu Kindness Cafe. I LOVED this concept. Keanu Reeves is one of the most amazing souls out there, and to have a cafe dedicated to him and his philanthropic work was an idea of genius, as was the RAOK jar!
Oh, and Joe? He turns up, too! What a coincidence! There is a brilliant ‘will they/won’t they?’ aspect of the story as it builds, and faces Evie would rather not see turn up, too.
Great fun, and a wonderful way to get into the Christmas Spirit!

Very Very Lucky by Amanda Prowse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another beautiful story written by the queen of women’s fiction, Amanda Prowse!
This story follows the lives of two individuals, with no real connection, from different walks of life, who somehow meet and enrich the life of the other.
Emma is drowning in responsibility, with three children, each with different needs and demands, a husband who does try to help, a best friend with a bombshell of her own, and an ailing mother who requires her support, all while grieving her father.
Thurston is an octagenarian, recently bereaved, losing his beloved wife of sixty-two years. He feels life is not worth living without his precious wife.
A chance meeting sparks the beginning of an unconventional friendship, where they slowly change each other’s thinking.
I loved the main characters Prowse created here. Both are relatable to readers. Emma, the rushed off her feel mother, with so much going on, hit a nerve with me. Thurston is the nail on the head as that man who devoted his life to a woman and feels lost without her beside him. The cast of side characters was brilliant, too, from Roz, Emma’s best friend, to Nancy, Thursston’s niece and the piece in the puzzle that initially connects the two.
Grief is the story’s main theme, and how we can overcome it without forgetting.
A beautiful read, as always.

Releasing 7th January 2024

The Love Interest by Victoria Walters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first of Victoria Walter’s books I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Firstly, I love a book set in the book world (A library), with literature and writing at the heart, as well as romantic films!
Liv is working in her dream place, in a university library, with a colleague turned best friend, Stevie, living with her brother Dan, in London. Her dream of writing a romantic book floats in her mind, but she feels it will never happen, seeing as she can’t even sort her love life out.
Enter her brother’s best friend, Aiden. Annoying, and her nemesis for the last ten years. She suddenly finds herself living with and working with him as he changes jobs and needs a place to stay,
But, the thing is, they have history. A past event which haunts her, and an annoyingly sexy Irish accent to go with his annoyingly Mr Darcy-esque looks…
As Liv battles to control her emotions, inspiration strikes and she begins writing her first ever romantic novel, with, annoyingly, Aiden as the base for her romantic lead. And as she writes, life begins to imitate her art, or is it the other way round?
This was a fun, easy read, I loved Liv and her fantastic dress sense! Her confusion at her feelings makes for a great story, and Aiden reads like the perfect romantic hero. A great enemies-to-lovers story with a little bit of a spice alert, too!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 12th February, 2024

Courier by Zoe Rosi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Zoe Rosi’s thrillers so far, and Courier was no different, but unique in its way.
Bob is a courier who becomes infatuated with the haunted-looking face of a woman in a house where he makes deliveries. His infatuation leads him to become much more involved in her life than he should, as he begins to dream of a future and becoming her saviour. Something quite easy for a faceless delivery man who no one takes notice of.
Courier is a novella written in the first person, filled with twists and turns that keep a reader involved in the story from beginning to end. I have to say I felt quite sorry for Bob and his life, though I wouldn’t recommend the route he decides to take!
A well-written story about stalking and obsession and consequences.
I will definitely be paying more attention to our couriers in the future, that’s for sure!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lighthouse Press for an ARC.

Releasing 30th January, 2024

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

Can you believe we are one month away from another year?

Okay, so I got through all the arcs I had been sent by November 5th… Will I have managed to not say yes to anymore? Will that TBR pile get any smaller? BEcause I need to be writing my own book, too!

Christmas Hearts by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a simple, sweet addition to the Soul Sisters collection, where we focus on Leslie and the rekindling of her romance with her ex-husband Eric.
It can’t be easy, living in the same small town and avoiding one another, but somehow she has managed for three years, then fate takes charge, and she ends up with a Christmas wish come true, as well as helping to make the wish of another a reality too.
Sweet story.

Released 17th November, 2023

Back to her future by Cary J. Hansson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We are all flawed.
We, our parents, and our children will be too.
The thing is, some of our flaws will inevitably hurt those we love, even if that is not the desired effect.
Back To Her Future is a deep story of culture, identity and the need to conform.
Meryam is estranged from her whole family, yet on his deathbed, her father calls for her. He imparts a secret buried thirty-odd years previously that impacts everything Meryam’s adult life was built on.
I don’t want to go into detail. Still, the story deals with the sometimes stifling expectations of certain cultures, the necessity of conforming when moving to different countries, and the need to maintain one’s culture.
She’s been through hell as she grew up, but Meryam is unaware of certain reasons behind the decisions that shaped her future.
As she goes on a journey of discovery, she rekindles friendships lost many decades before and learns some upsetting truths.
Sensitively done.

Released 1st November, 2023

Sisterhood by Cathy Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fantastic Cathy Kelly story.
Lou’s life turns upside down on her fiftieth birthday as her mother reveals a huge secret.
Together with her sister, Toni, Lou heads off in search of the truth, as well as to find herself and build an inner strength that she had lost.
There were plenty of twists within this tale, but the character development was fantastic. There could have been a simple HEA, but the way Kelly took the story meant the characters and we, the readers, must work for it.
Lou is there for everyone. She helps to keep her whole family on an been keel, from her husband to her mother, as well as being the organised brain behind the company she works for.
Tori is that confident woman who appears to have it all.
Both sisters learn disturbing facts about their families and lives, which means they end up on a trip to Sicily to find out what the truth is.
Their mother, Lillian, is a nasty piece of work, though.
So many women out there end up like Lou, taken for granted. The ones who keep everyone else going, anticipating all needs, and dropping everything at the drop of a hat to make life easier for others. I love that this ends with Lou finding herself and realising she can still be there for others without losing herself.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC.

Releasing 15th February, 2024

The Eternal Bachelor: The perfect friends to lovers romance to fall in love with by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Cherry Blossom Lane series and was eager for this third instalment, where the story develops between the third friend in the group, Demi, and the third of the brothers, Miles.
Right from the previous stories, I have wanted to shake Demi. Her relationship with her long-term boyfriend appears a bit toxic, and we see the extent through this book.
Miles’ unrequited love for his best friend, Demi, has been noted throughout the last two books, and his friends are aware, too. Pretty much everyone can see, apart from Demi.
It was great to see Demi’s character develop over this story, and we visibly see her backbone gaining strength as she navigates a breakup, leaving the one job she thought she would do forever and begins to understand the feelings of her best friend and the fact that she may just feel the same way.
Miles is a great character. He’s been touted as the playboy kind, but he has a heart of gold.
The best thing about a series is that you get to revisit some of the characters from past stories, and though this can be read as a stand-alone, it’s always great to find out what is going on with other favourites!
Exactly the HEA we all want, with a few spanners thrown in, because it can’t be that easy, can it? I don’t know if there is scope for any more books in this series, but there are a few side characters who deserve a happy ending, too! (Hit hint, Lizzie Chantree!)

The Single Mums’ Book Club by Victoria Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lovely, easy read about a single mum who finds herself lost in this new world of not being a traditional family unit.
Having lost contact with the ‘friends’ she had with her ex-husband, Steph is struggling.
A chance encounter with a neighbour she barely passes time with starts a chain of events that lead to them starting their own little book club, which, over the story increases in size as they find more and more women whom it will help.
Along the way, Steph finds herself and a new love interest, too!
I enjoyed reading this. It cheered me up no end.

Stand Up Guy: The most uplifting romance you’ll read this year by Nina Kaye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nina will be on a blog tour stop in January when I will share my review, and possibly a Book & A Brew, too!

Releasing 18th January, 2024

A-Z of Warwick: Places-People-History by S. C. Skillman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A-Z of Warwick: Places-People-History is a fascinating alphabetical collection of facts about Warwick.
I have always enjoyed SCSkillman’s Warwick-related books as I grew up not far from there, and many places she mentions are places I have visited.
It is an interesting read, where we learn many facts about the important people of Warwick, little tidbits of information about historical aspects and some wonderful stories about key locations.
I always enjoy reading about Warwick Castle as we visited there many times as a family.
It’s an interesting read with plenty to enchant you!
https://www.amberley-books.com/az-of-warwick.html

Releasing 7th December, 2023

Blog Tour post will include the review in December.

Fairytale of New York by Zoë Folbigg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlie Brown is an in-demand make-up artist with fantastic friends, a home of her own, Mabel the cat, and the perfect partner she is off to visit in New York right after her current job ends.
Only, when she gets there, do things start to go wrong.
Stranded in New York, Charlie ends up on a strange journey, meeting handsome strangers, discovering horrifying secrets, and leaving there even more confused than before.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I won’t say it was a light-hearted read, as there are some more delicate matters within, but it was a good read, and I have to say I loved Pete and his family.
Charlie’s support network in London and at home with her parents is awesome, and Mabel the cat is just wonderful.

Enemies to Lovers by Portia MacIntosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Enemies to Lovers gives the game away with the title from the off. Yes, this is a story, and the trope is exactly that. Enemies to Lovers.
Two people who have an age-old vendetta against one another, Lara and Sonny, work together as journalists in the same role, but for two separate magazines. There is plenty of one-upmanship going on all the time.
One such occurrence goes a step too far and their editors decide to send them off on a secret mission, where they will need to spend a lot of time together, which is not something either of them want to do.
The concept is there. It’s an easy read. They hate each other, then they fall in lust/love. With a job to complete on the side!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 4th January, 2023

Releasing 23rd January, 2024

Blog tour appearance in January will contain my review.

Wait for January when Jeevani is visiting my blog for a Book and a Brew. I’ll share my review, then!

Releasing 11th January, 2024

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!

Yes, it is the end of October. Really? How did that happen?

So, somehow, the ARCS kept coming… However I did read a couple of books I already had, and at the last minute, I gave myself another series challenge! This time, it was Tammy L. Grace’s Sisters of the Heart series. She will be a guest on my Book & a Brew with Ritu series soon, so I dived into this wonderfully cosy series!

The Twat Files by Dawn French
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had to giggle when I read the title of this book, and when I was offered a promotional copy. I jumped at the chance.
What a brilliant set of recollections by Dawn French, as well as a reminder that we all have our moments of tw@tiness!
Absolutely loved it and devoured it in a day!

Released 12th October, 2023

The Little Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I think of board games, it is the traditional ones, like Snakes and Ladders and Monopoly, that come to mind. I forget about all the other types that many people obsess over…
What a delight of a book by Jennifer Page.
Emily, the MC, is trying to rebuild her life after losing her job and fiance within a few days of one another.
She’s always had a dream, a shared dream with her mother, of opening a cafe and serving customers delicious cakes and meals in a homely environment.
An opportunity arises, and she has the money, but she’s unsure if she can do this alone.
It’s amazing how you can build a community around yourself, even when you doubt yourself.
Emily has an extra supportive best friend, Kate, and her father, though he struggles with grief. Even though they are apart, her ex-fiance is still a support of some sort, and then you have caring, board-game-obsessed GP Ludek, who comes into her life in a very unorthodox way.
The cast of side characters is delightful, and the idea of a cafe with the delights of board games as an addition to having a sweet or savoury delight sounds amazing. I would visit!
A wonderful, feel-good read, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A Game of Deceit and Desire by Ruby Roe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, my girl, Ruby Roe, has done it again, hasn’t she?
Another steamy sapphic addition to the girl games trilogy, and what a cracker!
Each book has focussed on a different character from the original group we were introduced to in book one, and this, the final instalment, allowed us into the lives of Remy and Bella, rivals in their field but with a history filled with love/hate experiences.
Of course, they need to solve/compete over something huge, and plenty of suspicion is being thrown around. There is also the HUGE steam factor running through the whole series. This time, we have a true slow-burn element that can get extremely hot as things begin to sizzle!
A great end to the series, and I love the hint of a new story that may just be coming out in the future…

Released 26th October, 2023

Releasing 20th November, 2023

Review to follow in Blog tour post near release day!

Love Letters on Hazel Lane by Jennifer Page
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having recently read and thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer Page’s debut, I was excited to jump into Love Letters on Hazel Lane.
Jo finds it tough settling into a new area with no friends, a job she is not sure she enjoys, and a hidden passion for Scrabble that she feels no one will ever understand. She’s tentatively hopped on the dating app wheel, but that isn’t giving her many positive experiences.
Then she meets a new friend, Kate (who happens to be one of the side characters from the first book), who encourages her to take some chances and suddenly pushes her into directions she didn’t think she would ever take.
One minute, she feels unwanted and unloved, then things change, and she begins to look at life differently, with some interesting dates, and then the start of her association with the local Scrabble club. It is run by quirky local GP Ras, who happens to be one of her previous ‘disaster’ dates.
Jo’s organisational skills are not left unnoticed, and she finds herself in charge of arranging a Scrabble festival, as well as getting her own life into gear.
This time, the story still had all the cosy feels, with a will they/won’t they romance and being able to revisit some of the lovely characters from The Little Board Game Cafe. However, there was an added, more serious thread to it, exploring childhood bullying, merging into workplace bullying, toxic relationships, and coercive control.
Ultimately, the biggest bonus in this story was the theme of self-love, and the author has done very well.
Recommended read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an ARC.

Releasing 4th January, 2024

The French Chateau Escape by Gillian Harvey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gillian Harvey is fast becoming one of my must-read authors because her protagonists are always so relatable,
This time, we have Emma, a middle-aged woman, married to Mark, a man a little older than her. they take a step to change their lives by buying a chateau in France to ‘do up’, with the hope of creating business opportunities with a venue for weddings and events and living a more relaxed lifestyle once all the renovations are done.
However, it’s unlikely to ever be so easy, especially when there are renovations to do, little spare cash, an overenthusiastic husband with limited capabilities, the language barrier as well and trying to start a family.
An unfortunate accident leaves Mark unable to work on the property and feeling like they should just give up, and Emma goes from feeling despondent to turning around her way of thinking.
I like that this was not a ‘fluffy’ book. Harvey has dealt with real issues, here, from that feeling of insecurity when you move locations, all the anxieties about being somewhere where you don’t really understand anyone, learning to build your independence, the stresses these changes can put upon a marriage, as well as the threat of infertility as age creeps up on you.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and loved the character development of Emma.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 8th November, 2023

The Old Ducks’ Hen Do: A BRAND NEW laugh-out-loud, feel good read from #1 bestselling author Maddie Please for 2023 by Maddie Please
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve not read the linked first book to this; however, it was easily read as a stand-alone.
Denny is hitting a certain age and is welcomed into her older stepsister Juliette’s group of Old Duck friends when a hen do is planned for her wedding.
The group of women end up in Mallorca, where Denny slowly learns to embrace her recent retirement and begins to think about whether she is happy alone or whether it would be good to meet someone to share her upcoming twilight years with.
It is a lovely read, where second-chance romances are discovered, and the author has rightly shown that you can have a good time at any age and dreams can come true!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 16th November, 2023

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A simple tale of relationships and connections, all-encompassing building a love of books and reading.
Takako is a young woman floundering after discovering her boyfriend is marrying someone else.
She responds to a request from her uncle to come to his second-hand bookshop to stay and help out for a while as she gets to grips with her life again.
Translated fiction is always a chance you take. This was an interesting story, but I felt it was sometimes a little disjointed. Still, a short, entertaining read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC.

Hello Goodbye by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll say it now, and I’ll repeat it. Kay Bratt, you might need to keep going with these wonderful Hart’s Ridge books. I fear eight won’t be enough!
We are back in Hart’s Ridge with our favourite Deputy, Taylor Grey, who is again embroiled in a dark investigation regarding a double murder.
As usual, plenty of things are going on in her personal life, too, which take up a lot of her headspace.
Newly engaged, she’s trying to support her fiance with some unexpected news and dealing with a much more personal investigation that, if solved, will make her future feel more secure.
The twists and turns throughout this story take your breath away, and Bratt’s story-telling is fantastic, as always.
I cannot wait to read the next (hopefully not the last) instalment when it is out!

Releasing 16th November, 2023

Greetings from Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a stunning introduction to a new series by Tammy L. Grace, which I admit to downloading immediately after reading.
The book shares journal entries from a wonderful woman, Jewel, a foster mum with her husband, Clive.
Through her years of being there for different children, she also, alongside Clive, ran a dog and animal sanctuary, as well as a Lavender farm.
We are given a glimpse into her experiences with five specific young wards who stayed with them throughout a couple of decades, and we also learn a little about their lives after they leave the safety of Jewel’s care.
This lays a brilliant base for the journey the rest of the series will take us on as the five women come together, never having met one another as their times with Jewel never crossed.
I can’t wait to get into this series!

Pathway to Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so glad I downloaded the rest of this series, knowing I would want to keep reading, after each instalment finishes.
After reading Jewel’s journal entries in the first book, I couldn’t wait to learn more about the five girls she had fostered long-term.
Harriet McKenzie, better known as Harry, has just retired after thirty years in the Salem Police Department. Her job has been all-consuming, leaving little to no time for a personal life. Her only comforts are Chief, the dog she inherited after her long-term police partner passed away, and the letters and phone calls from Jewel, her precious foster mother.
Fresh from packing away her desk, she is confronted with a letter containing news she never wanted to hear. Jewel was no more. But more than that, she left Harry as the executor of a slightly complex legacy. The hardest part was to contact four other women whom Jewel had fostered, whom Harry had never met, and to pack up her life in Salem and head back to her childhood home in Lavender Valley to try and complete Jewel’s other requests.
Certain jobs never leave you alone, and Policing is one of them. While there, she finds herself at the heart of a local investigation, helping the sheriff and community.
This was a moving story of a more mature woman coming to terms with some huge changes in her life and dealing with a loss greater than she could have expected. Along the way, she finds a tribe who could be her people and new friends, a renewed sense of belief in love and quite possibly a new vocation!
Wonderfully written with a rue moreish quality. So moreish that I am diving into the third right away!

Sanctuary at Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did I mention how much I am enjoying this series?
Tammy L. Grace has a beautiful way with words, and this little town she has created with such caring folk… well, I want to live there, too!
The next Sister of the Heart who we meet is Olivia. Foster parents Jewel and Chuck helped her navigate out of a tough childhood, which left her with scars, both internal and external.
Her love of animals is credited to the caring nature of Jewel who, along with her canine friend, Willow, helped Olivia to come out of the darkness.
When she arrives, Olivia is reeling from losing her son, Simon, and a divorce. She’s apprehensive but finds that she feels Jewel at every turn once she is at Lavender Valley Farm.
Restarting the animal rescue centre that Jewel and Chuck started when she was living with them is just the tonic for her, and getting to know her new ‘sister’, Harry, as well as her new neighbours and the local folk, especially Duke, the vet, helps to build Olivia’s self-esteem back up.
A beautifully crafted story, and I am about to dive into the next one right now!

Blossoms at Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know when you’ve worked out the formula for a series of stories, and the familiarity of how things pan out feels comforting? That is how I feel with the Sisters of the Heart Series right now! Almost as comforting and soothing as the scent of lavender…
Book 4 concentrates on the third ‘sister’ story, Micki. She’s also floundering in life, and it seems like her foster mother, Jewel, even in death, knows exactly what her special girls need. When Micki was living at the farm, she was the one who helped Jewel and Chuck set up the lavender fields and more on top, so she was the perfect person to help get ready for the Lavender Festival.
Micki arrives to a heap of affection from her new ‘sisters’, Harry and Olivia, but has a few nasty surprises in the form of her estranged real sister.
All this, along with problems with her relationship with her daughter, Meg, cause heartache, but with the aid of her new ‘sisters’, as well as a newfound friend, Buck, Jewel’s attorney, and the serenity gained from working with the earth, again, prove to be the formula for a peaceful, fulfilled future.
Sometimes, you need happy endings. I love that each book dives into the separate sisters, giving us readers plenty to form our bonds with the characters and the development of relationships, proving that you can still find happiness, no matter your age.
Also, I still want to visit this make-believe place!
On to book 5!

Comfort in Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had thought this next book would have been about Georgia, the oldest of the Sisters of the Heart since Harry had been unable to find Lydia, but the epilogue in book 4 had me informed that the prodigal sister was on her way back.
And her story didn’t disappoint!
Lydia has been running away for most of her adult life. The brief five-year stint with Jewel in her teens was the best time in her life, but since then, even though she enjoyed many successes with her cooking and love of food, her experiences with men left a bad taste in her mouth.
When she arrives at Lavender Valley, she comes to fulfil the last wish of her beloved Jewel, intending on heading off, as soon as she is able, frightened of something catching up with her.
What she doesn’t expect is that feeling of home that engulfs her and how every person she encounters in the small town welcomes her with open arms.
Still, secrets that haunt don’t stay silent forever, and she has her fair share of drama that her new-found sisters and friends help her navigate. That chance of a future settled in one place becomes a distinct possibility.
This is another wonderful addition to the series, and I cannot wait to learn more about the final sister, Georgia, in the last book, which is loaded up and ready to read!

Reunion in Lavender Valley by Tammy L. Grace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel rather sad now that I’ve read the last of the Sisters of the Heart books…
This last story focused on the oldest of the foster sisters, Georgia. She arrived late because of an injury sustained just as she was preparing to leave for Lavender Valley.
Another soul tormented by loss recently, Georgia arrives hoping that, like before, the farm and Jewel’s memories will help her.
And it does.
The lavender festival brings so much joy to everyone, and she even manages to meet someone she never thought she would see again. Someone with whom she could possibly enjoy the rest of her life.
Each story was so well rounded off within this book that readers were happy they all got the happiness they deserved.
And I must admit speaking to the Hubby about a dream of getting a dog one day…
Tammy L. Grace, I blame you!

No. 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do love a bit of early 20th century-based fiction and this truly did the job!
Agnes Humphries is looking for a new lodger to fill the void after the sudden death of one of her long-standing paying guests, and she is stuck deciding between three candidates: Clara, her niece; Stephen, a respectable bank clerk; and Mercy, a young widow.
The book has a wonderful parallel timeline as we learn plenty about each of these prospective lodgers. The three stories intertwine beautifully, to bring more and more about the characters and the current lodgers in the house, as well as about Agnes, her past, and how she came to be alone in this large house in the middle of London.
I loved learning all the different stories, and absolutely loved the ending!
A great set of characters with plenty to hide, and a wonderful MC, Agnes, whose habit of speaking what she thinks all the time isn’t a bad thing at all!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Published 31st October, 2023

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!