Monday 30 June 2014

Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlett Bailey

Synopsis
From reluctant bridesmaid, to accidental mother…

Tamsyn Thorne has not been back to her home town of Poldore for five long years.

But now her brother, Ruan, is about to get married and she has no excuses left.

Her plans to arrive in Cornwall looking chic and successful are dashed when a huge storm turns her from fashion goddess to a drowned rat. Worse, she ends up insulting the local hunky vicar – and then finds a tiny baby abandoned in his churchyard…





Review

This book is set in the town of Poldore, Cornwall. The town sounds really delightful, despite the fact that we see it in a state of disrepair after Tamsyn arrives during the worst storm the town has ever seen. I think this is more due to the wonderful community spirit that Scarlett has written about, you can imagine the small town where everyone knows everyone, and come together to help one another in times of need.

I really got into this book quickly, it flows at quite a pace, and it is hard to believe so much happens in such a short time period. Tamsyn is meeting up with her family after a number of years, and you can instantly feel her awkwardness around them, stemming from her insecurities and guilt about the past. However over the book she really ‘finds herself’, which is mostly down to baby Mo, who she finds abandoned outside the church during the storm. She really brings out the softer side of Tamsyn, which allows Tamsyn to reflect on her life that she lives in France. I also loved Alex (Tamsyn's soon to be sister-in-law) she was so warm and loving, you couldn't help but love her.

Then into the picture comes Jed, the handsome vicar, who I must say I am a tiny bit in love with, he is sensitive, really passionate about his faith, but understanding about those that don’t share it, altogether he is just lovely! Yet nothing is as simple as it seems, and the storyline develops, you find out something disturbing from Jed’s past, I think it was really sensitively handled.

This was a beautiful read, full of warmth and makes me wish I lived in such a tight knit community. This is the first book I have read of Scarlett Bailey’s that I have read, and I will definitely be adding her Christmas books to my Winter TBR pile!


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Published by: 
Random House UK, Ebury Publishing
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

The Second Time I Saw You by Pippa Croft

Synopsis
Lauren and Alexander's journey continues in the second novel in Pippa Croft's Oxford Blue romance series.

It's the beginning of a new term at Wyckham College, Oxford, and a fresh start for Lauren Cusack. Her fingers were badly burnt when a whirlwind romance with gorgeous English aristocrat, Alexander Hunt, became too hot to handle - and now she's determined to keep her distance.

Her resolve is shaken when Alexander appears on her doorstep - he's been completely torn apart by some devastating news. Lauren knows that she should stay away, but their chemistry is undeniable and she soon finds herself back in Alexander's arms.

Can Lauren handle the drama that comes with Alexander Hunt? Or will she have to sacrifice the most exhilarating passion she's ever known . . .

Review

This is the second book in the oxford blue series. It can be read as a standalone, though I think it wouldn’t be as enjoyable an experience without all the history that comes from the first book.

You begin as Lauren arrives back after the first term, not particularly happy after the events of book one, but is surprised to find Alexander knocking on her door after receiving some shocking and upsetting news. You are thrown right back in the action as things move along.

All the characters are back from last time, Rupert’s still as hateful and arrogant as ever, Professor Rafe is still creepy and Immy is still there supporting Lauren, and you get to know Valentina (Alexander’s very annoying ex) and Emma (Alexander’s sister) better.
I really liked Emma, despite her young age, she seems quite wise at times, but at other times you see her act exactly how you would expect a 16 year old to act. While I liked Lauren and Emma’s friendship, I really felt for Lauren though, as she feels in the middle of Alexander and Emma, after Emma asks Lauren to promise to keep a secret from Alexander, it’s a very difficult position she finds herself in.

This book improves on the first I think, the storyline moved at the same swift pace, but somehow seemed to pack more in, and the end, oh my, this one leaves you on a cliff hanger, and I don’t believe I have to wait until October (when the ebook is released) before I find out what happens….Hurry up already!



Available now as an eBook.
Released as paperback on 20th November 2014

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Published by: Penguin UK

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Monday 23 June 2014

The Teashop on the Corner by Milly Johnson

Synopsis
At her beloved husband's funeral, Carla Pride discovers that Martin never divorced his first wife and has been living a double life with her. And his other wife, Julie Pride, is determined to take everything from Carla - her home, her money, and her memories.

When Will Linton's business goes bust he at least thinks that with the support of his trophy wife Nicole he will rise to the top again. But Nicole isn't going to stick around with 'a loser' and Will finds himself at rock bottom.

Molly Jones is being bullied into going into a retirement home by her 'concerned' daughter-in-law Sherry and son Gram. Then the love of Molly's life walks in through her door - a man who broke Molly's heart into little pieces many years ago. But he says he is dying and wants to spend the time he has left with her.

All people in need of a little love and compassion which they find by chance in the stationery and teashop on the corner run by the ever-cheerful Leni, a woman that site developer Shaun McCarthy finds annoying beyond annoying for her ability to remain unrealistically upbeat about everything.

But is the world of Leni Merryman as full of rainbows and sparkles as everyone thinks? Or is her smile papering over many cracks in her heart that will soon be shattered unwittingly by her new friends?

Review
Firstly, I have to say that I completely forgot the synopsis above before reading the book, so I went in without knowing what to expect, other than people meeting in a teashop, which I really enjoyed. This book had me hooked from the end of the first chapter, from the get go this book is pulling out the big guns!

After you get over the that, you are introduced to a few more characters, all having some problems and throughout the book you really get to know the characters individually and seeing them become close friends through meeting in the ‘Teashop on the Corner’.

The teashop itself sounds wonderful, while I am not into reading classic books, I am unable to resist any bookish merchandise (especially if it’s stationary), and if ever a shop like this opens in my Somerset town, I will probably be bankrupt on opening day!

I really thought Carla was a lot stronger than she let herself believe, I wouldn’t have coped with what was thrown at her at all, she was amazing, and her story was so heart-warming to read.

Molly was a surprise for me, I thought her story was going to be mainly based on her despicable son and daughter-in-law, Graham and Sherry but a curveball was thrown, and it led to a more complex story, where you learn about her past, which was heart breaking, but it had light-hearted moments as well, visiting the seaside and riding on donkeys for example.

Leni was a breath of fresh air, she had such a sunny disposition, and it was really nice to see someone so genuinely, naturally kind. She hires Ryan, who is also such an amazing character, especially given the circumstances he was bought up in and takes him under her wing and this was so nice of her and just wonderful to read as their bond grew. However throughout the book you get hints of things that are wrong, and when this comes out, it is just terribly sad.
I almost thought that I was wrong in my suspicions but no, right as you’re getting prepared to bask in the warmth you get when completing a book such as this, you are hit with this and you need to recover again.

This book was funny, yet so heart-warming, I definitely think this is Milly’s best yet


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Published by: 
Simon and Schuster UK Fiction
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Friday 20 June 2014

A Proper Family Holiday by Chrissie Manby

Synopsis
Could you survive a week-long holiday with your entire family?

Newly single magazine journalist Chelsea Benson can't think of anything worse.

Your grubby small nephew torpedoing any chance of romance with the dishy guy you met on the plane . . .
Your eighty-five-year-old granddad chatting up ladies at the hotel bar . . .
Getting nothing but sarcastic comments from your older sister, who's always been the family favourite . . .
And all this is before your parents drop their bombshell.

Is a week enough time for the Bensons to put their differences aside and have some fun? Or is this their last ever proper family holiday?


Review
OMG! Where do I even start with this? I have loved Chrissie Manby’s book ever since I read Deep Heat ages ago. Her last book ‘What I did on my holidays’ was amazing, and was published in 2012, so I had a looooong wait till this one was published and it was so worth the wait! This book is such a great read, you instantly get absorbed into the story, and with Chrissie’s descriptive writing you can perfectly imagine Hotel Volcan and Playa Bravas.

The Benson Family are your typical working class family and they are wonderful. All individual and easy to relate to. I think Chelsea was my favourite Benson, she seemed really misunderstood. Everyone seemed to think that she thought she was better than everyone else, but inside she had struggles of her own. I really loved her story with Jack and how they became close, 2 unlikely allies! Jack himself was hilarious, absolutely adored him!

I felt really sorry for Ronnie, she has a lot on her plate with money troubles and other family issues, and you can really see it all get on top of her. I was wishing she gave her sister some slack though, She resented Chelsea, though it was understandable why she reacted like that, it must have been hard seeing our sister live (in Ronnie’s view) a more successful life free of worry and responsibility.

The whole book was absolutely brilliant, the main storyline was really happy, but had some touching moments too, the scene between Jack and Chelsea on their last night sharing a room bought a tear to my eye! On the other hand one of the side stories, Bill and Gloria was hilarious, their final scene meeting the whole family was so funny, one of the most memorable moments in the book, and definitely the funniest.

I’ve seen a few book bloggers comment that this was Chrissie’s best yet. I had my doubts, surely nothing could topple ‘What I did on my holidays’ from the top? However, I was happily proven completely wrong, this really is the best yet and I cannot wait till the Christmas installment (2 books in 1 year, a real treat!). This book is simply fabulous!


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Published by: 
Hodder & Stoughton
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Love Like The Movies by Victoria Van Tiem

I am absolutely over the moon to be invited to take part of the Blog Tour for this 'Love Like the Movies'. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did, and please enter my giveaway below for your chance to win a copy!

Synopsis
When it comes to finding her leading man, will it be Love, Actually or a Runaway Bride?

Kenzi Shaw has her life scripted out down to the last line - the career she's building as an up-and-coming marketing exec, the gorgeous fiancé (Bradley) she'll marry in a fairytale wedding, the children they'll raise in her dream home. But when heart-breaking ex Shane comes back into her life, life starts going off the script . . .


Shane tries to win Kenzi over by re-enacting all the rom com movies they used to watch together - Sleepless in Seattle, Bridget Jones' Diary, Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing to name a few. He's just a guy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to trust him again. But has he really changed? Not only is her head in a spin over Shane, but now her job is on the line. And with her perfect sister in law showing up every tiny thing Kenzi does wrong, she feels like she's permanently in the corner.


Should she risk her sensible life for the chance of a Happy Ever After? One thing's for sure, when Shane meets Kenzi (again), she's suddenly not so sure just who her leading man is . . .



Review

First off, what initially drove me to the book was the gorgeous purple cover. Secondly the synopsis sounded just perfect for me, I love romantic comedies, and me and my boyfriend constantly quote movies and films at each other (though admittedly it is more often Family Guy than Pretty Woman).  Another delightful thing was the chapters, they were all named as a variation on popular rom-coms. Basically, before I even started the book, I was impressed.

The book was instantly gripping, the first scene was absolutely fantastic. Kenzi is excited to start discussing wedding plans with her family. Unfortunately, Kenzi’s over achieving sister in law steals Kenzie’s thunder. This sets the scene for how inferior Kenzi feels with her family. Ren seems incredibly selfish and inconsiderate, this continues through most the book. This isn't helped by Kenzi’s mum who seemed equally insensitive.
In fact, her whole family seemed more to do with appearances than anything else. Although half the time you just want to slap them all, you gradually begin to understand them, and that was really nice to see.
In her work life though, Kenzi has slightly better luck, while Tonya might be a frenemy, Ellie is so cute and a wonderful friend to Kenzi.

At the start of the book I really liked Bradley and didn't think what was fair what Shane was doing to Kenzi especially while her job was on the line, though maybe Shane wasn't aware of this. Anyway, my viewpoint changed gradually, as Bradley seemed to listen to Kenzi as much, and seemed quite distant.
While at first I didn't especially agree with what Shane was doing, making Kenzi act out the scenes from her favourite romantic movies, the idea was fantastic and they were all lovely to experience, especially the 27 dresses scene, it was laugh out loud funny, and I want my own green and pink pigmonster cuddly toy!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the movie references were absolutely great and the ending left a huge smile on my face, what more do you want from a book? To miss out on this book would be a big mistake, big, HUGE!


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Published by: Pan Macmillan

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Follow Victoria on Twitter @vtiem

http://vvantiem.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/v.vtiem


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Monday 16 June 2014

Me Without You by Kelly Rimmer



Synopsis
A story of how love can break our hearts – and heal them.
A year ago I met the love of my life. For two people who didn’t believe in love at first sight, we came pretty close.
Lilah MacDonald – beautiful, opinionated, stubborn and all kinds of wonderful in ways that words could never quite capture. The woman who taught me to live again.
My Lilah, who gave me so much, and yet kept from me a secret that she knew would break my heart.
My name is Callum Roberts, and this is our story.
Me Without You is a book to make you smile, bring you to tears and remind you to hold on tightly to those you love.


Review

The start of this book was quirky and instantly captivating, just how Callum find Lilah when he first sees her on the ferry with bare feet, juxtaposed with the rest of her outfit which very much says ‘business. The story draws you in and before you know it you’re over halfway through.

Lilah and Callum seem a match made in heaven. The right blend of different and similar, in fact they have a conversation about this in the book and the whole conversation was wrote in a beautiful way.
Lilah is passionate about the environment and all living things but has a very spontaneous outlook on live, and takes every opportunity she can to enjoy herself. Callum on the other hand has a good job, but doesn’t seem to have experienced life in the same way Lilah has.
Seeing their relationship develop and blossom was amazing. At times they were frustrated with eachother, but still found their way back to where they belonged, with one another.

The story is so beautifully written. Callum’s viewpoints are written as a retrospective, which was really interesting way to read it, and you really get how he feels at all times. Interspersed with Callum’s story are diary entries from Lilah, drip-feeding you information, so you leaen more about her, knowing something is wrong, but are kept guessing until the reveal. I was certainly wrong with what it was.


The last 20-30% of this book was so emotional, I literally needed to read it faster and faster, like ripping off a plaster. It was so sad, but incredibly touching at the same time. Kelly Rimmer has cracked it with this book!


Order on Amazon now!

Published by: 
Bookouture
Gratefully received from the publisher with thanks 

Friday 13 June 2014

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman


Synopsis
The name of your first-born. The face of your lover. Your age. Your address...

What would happen if your memory of these began to fade?

Is it possible to rebuild your life? Raise a family? Fall in love again?

When Claire starts to write her Memory Book, she already knows that this scrapbook of mementoes will soon be all her daughters and husband have of her. But how can she hold on to the past when her future is slipping through her fingers...?




Review

I’ve found this book incredibly hard to review. Not because I didn’t like it but I’ve spent the last 2 months completely speechless about it, unable to collect my thoughts into more than “waaaaaaaaah” while reaching for the box of tissues that is a must if reading this book! I’ve manned up though, so here it is!

The book is split into diary entries in the memory book that Claire starts, written by various people, and they were a joy to read. The main book is told by 2 viewpoints. 

Claire who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s and Caitlin, her daughter. This allows you to see both perspectives, the sufferer and how it effects the ones they love. You could really feel both the frustration and helplessness Claire felt, as she was unable to remember things she was once so able to do, and at the people around her who trusted her less because of this. I completely got where she was coming from and it just broke my heart to read.
Although a lot of this is sad, you get occasionally get this little bit of humour through Claire’s narration which was a nice touch on a book this emotional.

On the other hand, reading Caitlin’s point of view was equally sad, seeing how hard it was on her and the rest of the family seeing someone they love change both drastically and irreversibly and through no fault of their own. Every word of this book was just amazing.


This book is just one big emotional rollercoaster, I cried a lot throughout this book (I think my boyfriend was getting worried at one point). This book is just amazing, very few books have made such an impression on me (I can only name one off the top of my head). This is just one of those books that you cannot miss out on! 




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Published by: Ebury Press 




Wednesday 11 June 2014

The No-Kids Club by Talli Roland


Synopsis
At almost forty, Clare Donoghue is living child-free and loving it.

Then her boyfriend says he wants kids, breaking off their promising relationship. And it’s not just boyfriends: one by one, her formerly carefree friends are swallowed up in a nonstop cycle of play dates and baby groups. So Clare decides it’s time for people who don’t have children to band together. And so the No-Kids Club is born.


As the group comes together—Anna, who’s seeking something to jumpstart a stale marriage, and Poppy, desperate for a family but unable to conceive—Clare’s hoping to make the most of the childless life with her new friends.


Will the No-Kids Club be Clare’s route to happiness, or will the single life lose its sparkle?
Review
Having read and enjoyed the ‘Construct a Man/couple’ series I was really excited for the release of this book. I thought the concept was quite unique, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about this before. It was also nice to see other topics such as infertility talked about, not just having no children by choice.

All three women, although joined in the plight of wanting a social circle without the worry of children are very different. 


Clare is the main protagonist, and the founding member of ‘The No Kids Club’. When she was talking to Mary after a TV interview, I thought that was a really touching scene, after that I really warmed to Clare, whereas before I thought Clare was a bit harsh at times.


Anna was really delightful in her attempts to liven her and Michael’s marriage, despite Michael coming across lazy and disinterested. She was also the surprise of the book, as I thought she was going to take a very different path several times during the book, and in the end it was wonderful, but not what I was expecting to happen.


Poppy had the saddest storyline, and I really felt for her while she struggled with her desperation to have a child and then struggling with IVF and marital issues.


This book has some really funny moments as well, as I don’t have any children (and don’t plan to for a while yet) some of Clare’s thoughts were really funny! Overall this is a fun read that is the perfect length for a lazy Sunday afternoon, preferably in the sun with some Pimm’s. Please don’t get a sunburnt face with white sunglass patches around the eyes like I did though!



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Published by: Lake Union Publishing

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.



Monday 9 June 2014

The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft

Synopsis
When US Senator's daughter, Lauren Cusack, arrives at the enchanting Wyckham College of Oxford University she hopes to mend her broken heart by throwing herself into her studies. 

But then English aristocrat Alexander Hunt walks into her life and everything changes. Handsome, brooding, and with his own dark past to escape, Alexander is exactly what Lauren doesn't need - but she finds herself helplessly drawn towards him. 


Both Alexander and Lauren know that they should stay away from each other . . . but sometimes desire is so powerful that it conquers all else.




Review

This series intrigued me from the outset. Unable to resist the temptation of a broody dark handsome stranger, I was really happy when I was approved for the first two in this trilogy on Netgalley.

Lauren, an American studying for her masters in art history has started at Wykeham College in Oxford. She quickly makes friends with Immy, who lives in the room next door. She also meets the mysterious Alexander Hunt, who she instantly feels drawn to, but is warned that he is trouble.

Lauren is strong minded, and can hold her own, she is a great character, and really loved how she handled Rupert, Alexander’s cousin, who was by far the most annoying character in the book, completely arrogant and rude towards Lauren after she refused his advances.

Alexander is everything promised, smart, handsome and mysterious, he the perfect romantic lead for Lauren, his aristocracy having the advantages that money brings (I wish someone would buy me a pink diamond Cartier necklace lol) but having the disadvantages of having to keep up appearances. Things get sexy between Lauren and Alexander fast, and I felt myself blushing lots during those scenes.


The storyline seems to move at quite a quick pace, and is hard to put down (as proven by the fact I finished both books in under two days). There is never a moment where you’re not wondering what happens next, and when the book finished, I had the need to start the second one straight away! 




Available now as an eBook.
Released as paperback on 9th October 2014

Order on Amazon now!

Published by: Penguin UK

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Friday 6 June 2014

One Night in Italy by Lucy Diamond

Synopsis
Is Italian really the language of love? A new class of students hopes to find out. 

Anna's recently been told the father she's never met is Italian. Now she's baking focaccia, whipping up tiramisu and swotting up on her vocabulary, determined to make it to Italy so she can find him in person. 
Catherine's husband has walked out on her, and she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she'll need courage as well as friends when she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity. 
Sophie's the teacher of the class, who'd much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. She can't wait to escape the tensions at home and go travelling again. 

But sometimes life - and love - can surprise you when you least expect it. As the evening class gets underway, friendships form and secrets from Italy begin to emerge. With love affairs blossoming in the most unlikely places, and hard decisions to face, it's going to be a year that Anna, Catherine and Sophie will never forget.
Review
After reading a few of Lucy Diamond’s books, I knew this was a must have! The cover is absolutely amazing, the Heart of pasta is just so beautiful, everything fits perfectly, definitely one of my favourite covers so far this year! I also loved the Italian chapter headings, a really nice addition to the book.

The 3 main characters are all lovely, and really grow throughout the book. I am so happy for Anna and through her determination to find her father, ended up getting so much more. A Better job, a new set of friends and the courage to stand up for herself. Catherine was so motherly it was really nice to read and how she coped after Mike left her, was really great once she got her confidence back after being put down for so long.
My favourite character out of the three though was definitely Sophie, I thought her story was really good to read, her relationship with her parents isn’t the best, and it was wonderful to read how it developed and what started it all off.

If I loved the women, a couple of the men in the book are a different story altogether! Pete, Anna’s boyfriend is just despicable. He’s incredibly selfish and ignorant, I thought his spreadsheet was just ridiculous, I just wanted to scream at him 99% of the time. Mike is also just as terrible and selfish. Just when I thought I had decided who I disliked more, the other one would do something just as awful. Rant over!

The class members were all great, especially Geraldine and Roy. You really felt the bond they all had through that Italian class. They had their own small stories, and were all there for one another through thick and thin. I laughed out loud when Phoebe told everyone about an ‘accident’ with her coffee!

Overall this book is definitely the best one I have read of Lucy’s. It is heart-warming, funny and the perfect read about friendship!


Order on Amazon now!

Published by: Pan Macmillan
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Let's Cook!
This book includes a couple of recipes, and I decided to try and cook the Focaccia from it and share my results with you! 


About to go in the oven


This recipe was really simple and easy to do! It was really quick to make, if you ignore the two hour long proofings of course, perfect time to curl up with a book! 
The dough is a lot wetter than other breads I have made, which was a bit unnerving at first, but during the first proof, i researched it and it is normal *phew*.  




Fresh out of the Oven


I added olives and thyme to the top before baking. It is absolutely delicious, me and my boyfriend will be fighting over who get's the last slice, that's for sure! Definitely one to make again.Next time I will probably add sundried tomatoes as well... ooh i can't wait!




Wednesday 4 June 2014

Ice Creams at Carrington's by Alexandra Brown

Synopsis
Georgie Hart and Carrington’s Department Store have got the world at their feet. Since a reality TV series put them both on the map, life has been amazing! Carrington’s profits are in the pink, Georgie has carved herself a place in the nation’s heart and even better, her romance with Tom, the store’s boss, has finally blossomed after a shaky start.

Now summertime has come to Mulberry-on-Sea and Georgie is in great demand. The town is holding a big summer festival and she and her mates from Carrington’s are planning on making sure that Mulberry puts on the show of its life!


But Georgie is about to get the offer of a lifetime – one that is just too good to turn down and something that will test her loyalties to their limits… Will Georgie be able to pull off it off once again, or has her luck finally run out?

Review

I have read both the previous installments of the Carrington’s series by Alexandra Brown, and I have adored them. They have a heart-warming feel about them, it brings back memories of an old fashioned department store I used to visit as a child, which, sadly closed down a long time ago.

This book had me hooked from the beginning, and what I thought was going to be a relatively straight forward plot, focusing mainly on the regatta, actually turned into a lot more, which was wonderful. I feel so sorry for Georgie, she just couldn't catch a break at airports!!


All the characters are back and as wonderful as ever. Eddie is the lively friend, who has become famous so is even more of a diva than I remember. Sam is a new mum to twins, and I really liked her part in the book, you saw a more vulnerable side to her, she needed Georgie this time, as opposed to Georgie leaning on Sam in her time of need.

Mr Carrington is as gorgeous and charming as ever, and if I was Georgie, you wouldn't have to as me twice to move in with him, that’s for sure.

The regatta theme was delightful to imagine, the perfect complement to the Carrington's store in the quintessentially English feeling I get from these books. Georgie’s ideas were wonderful, and I also would have cringed at some of the activities mentioned in the first committee meeting, welly throwing indeed!


The ending really shocked me as I would never have seen it coming, although looking back, maybe I should have, otherwise there would have been a small loose end, so it all wrapped up really nicely!


Alexandra Brown has absolutely cracked it with this series. It has the old fashioned romantic feel about it the whole way through, I hope this series continues for a long time!


Released on 5th June 2014
Order on Amazon now!

Published by: HarperCollins UK

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Monday 2 June 2014

Written in the Stars by Ali Harris

Synopsis
Have you ever wondered 'What if…?' What if you'd taken that other job, gone on a date with that other guy, moved to a different city. Would an alternative life path have led to a happier ending?

Now imagine if you could have taken both paths…


When Bea Bishop slips while walking down the aisle on her wedding day, she is momentarily knocked unconscious. Her world splits and her parallel lives take her on two very different journeys. In one existence, Bea flees back down the aisle and out of the church. In the other she glides blissfully towards Adam, her intended.


But which story will lead to her happy ever after? And will she end up in the same place?


One decision + two different paths = how many happy endings?

Review

I have read ‘Miracle on Regent Street’, which I loved, and have had Ali Harris’s second novel ‘The First Last Kiss’ in my TBR list for ages now, and have heard great things about it, I am not sure why I haven’t got round to it, and within the first few chapters of reading ‘Written in the Stars’ I found me kicking myself about that very fact. This is because in those few opening chapters, it reminded me of the magical writing that Ali creates. It is one of those books that completely hooks you from the get go!

I am a big ‘What If’ kind of person so this book really grabbed me. The way Ali Harris has written the two scenarios is perfect, it had potential to be confusing, but it never was. It was very refreshing too, there was never one moment when I was 100% sure which version of Bea’s life I thought was better, and that’s the whole point of the book I think.


Straight away I liked Bea, she was so unsure of herself, but an incredibly lovable person. Her support network was wonderful too. I loved the way the relationship between Bea and her mum, Loni developed. It was beautiful to read. Adam was pretty much the most perfect man you could imagine, and I found myself rooting for him the whole way through, he was so supportive of Bea, can I marry him please?!


Overall this book was absolutely wonderfully heart-warming, I thoroughly recommend that you pick up this book. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.




Released on 5th June 2014
Order on Amazon now!

Published by: Simon and Schuster UK

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.
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