But I Smile Anyway…

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

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

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

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

Surprisingly, it turns out Ingrid can also help them.

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

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

My Review

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

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

Author Bio –

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

Social Media Links

Facebook: @CeliaAndersonAuthor

Twitter: @CeliaAnderson1

Instagram: @cejanderson

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

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

Please join me on the blog tour for The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick

Can the future be rewritten?

On the verge of her second marriage, Carla Carter knows she’s finally found the one. She and her fiancé, Tom, met through Logical Love, a dating agency she founded for the pragmatically minded, and she’s confident that, together, they will dispel an old family curse claiming Carter women are unlucky in love.

But Carla’s highly superstitious family insists she visit a fortune teller before her big day, and the tarot cards reveal that a different man holds the key to Carla’s happiness – someone she met while travelling during a gap year, twenty-one years ago. This startling information spurs Carla to trace and revisit the ex-boyfriends she met during that time before she walks down the aisle.

From Barcelona to Amsterdam, Turkey to Paris, will Carla find her perfect match? And can a face from her past help Carla rewrite her entire family history, forever?

My Review

The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aren’t we all guilty of a little ‘what if?’ in our lives?
This new Phaedra Patrick story hits the nail on the head with the concept.
Carla is once bitten, twice shy. Married and divorced, she is convinced that romance and her won’t meet, especially since the females in her family are cursed never to have a fulfilling relationship.
However, she decides she doesn’t believe in curses and finds herself a wonderful partner, through her own matchmaking company, Logical Love, where questionnaire answers match potentials with a compatibility percentage.
Almost on the eve of her wedding, her family ladies take her on a hen do, involving some mystical shenanigans which lead Carla to question her past and embark upon a journey of (re)discovery, travelling destinations she visited in Europe as a young woman, and meeting old flames…
A great concept, and many secrets unfold as Carla meets old faces anew, and begins to question her own feelings on love and how you meet ‘the one’.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.eu/d/gZ3M4Y8

Author Bio –

Phaedra Patrick is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, which has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Her second novel, Rise and Shine Benedict Stone, was made into a Hallmark movie. An award-winning short story writer, she previously studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her family.

Social Media Links –

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Please join me on the blog tour for The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

Can the city of love mend a broken heart?

Romance author Tessa Elliot has writer’s block, and worse – she isn’t sure she still believes in love. To heal her broken heart, she decides to go on the romantic break in Paris she’d booked before her world fell apart.

But when she arrives at the Airbnb, Tessa is stunned to find someone is already there. Her ex’s best friend Ethan has made himself at home, being told that the place would be empty.

As it’s Paris Fashion Week, and with no other options, they agree to share the apartment. Neither will be in the place much after all, with Ethan taking a cookery course and Tessa on a hard deadline to finish her novel.

But sharing close nights in a one bed apartment, there’s an undeniable pull towards one another.

Will Tessa be able open her heart, and her laptop, ever again?

A gorgeous romance set in the city of love, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren

My Review

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read a couple of Victoria Walters books and this one was an entertaining read, as were the others.
In The Paris Chapter, we follow romance author Tessa to Paris. She’s been betrayed and in her quest to find peace with her relationship status, and the belief in romance again, she uses a break that had been booked for her and her now ex-boyfriend, Joe. However, she arrives to find that her cheating ex is even more of a git as he had passed on the break to his best friend.
Tessa is stuck in Paris during the height of Paris Fashion Week in a one-bedroom apartment with a rather hunky chef named Ethan.
I have to say I really enjoyed the close proximity nature of this story; we all know what we wanted to happen.
There is a decent enough steam factor within the story too – Phew!
One thing – I did not like Joe and couldn’t bring myself to believe that Tessa would even try to possibly rekindle anything with that wally.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

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

Author Bio –

Victoria Walters is the author of both cosy crime and romantic novels, including the bestselling Glendale Hall series. She has been chosen for WHSmith Fresh Talent, shortlisted for two RNA novels and was picked as an Amazon Rising Star. Previously published by Hera, she is now writing romantic comedies for Boldwood

Social Media Links –  

Twitter: @Vicky_Walters

Instagram: @VickyJWalters

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

Bookbub profile: ​​@vixw2000