Book Review - New Beginnings at Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters

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Title: New Beginnings at Glendale Hall

Author: Victoria Walters

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Hera Books

Publication Date: 5th February

Rating: 5 Stars

Two weddings and a baby…but who will get their happy ever after?

Emily Prescott’s life isn’t going to plan. Her dreams of starting a family with fireman boyfriend Greg and opening up her own bakery in London feel like they will never come true. So when a wedding
invite arrives from her oldest friend, Beth Williams, Emily is thrilled. Not only will she get to return to her childhood home in Scotland, but best of all – Beth wants her to bake the wedding cake!


However, her excitement is cut short when she discovers that Greg has cheated on her. Devastated by his betrayal, Emily flees to Glendale Hall, Beth’s grand estate in the Highlands, and tries to distracts herself with helping with the wedding plans, but that’s not easy when Greg keeps hounding her to forgive him. Then she’s introduced to Glendale’s new young and handsome vicar Brodie, and things become even more complicated.

When Emily discovers that Greg’s betrayal runs deeper than she imagined, she finds herself with a whole host of decisions to make, especially when she discovers her long awaited dream is finally being fulfilled – at exactly at the wrong time…

Escape to Scotland and fall in love with this gorgeous and inspiring romance from the bestselling author of Coming Home to Glendale Hall! The perfect feel-good read for fans of Holly Martin, Heidi Swain, and Jill Mansell.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Coming Home to Glendale Hall toward the end of last year, I was very excited to get my hands on the next book in the series.  

And my expectations have been smashed, this was a fabulous book, filled with a great sense of community, a couple of weddings, a break up with tricky issues, new beginnings, and the gorgeous town of Glendale

This can easily be read as a standalone as the main focus of the book is Emily, whereas it was Beth's story in the previous book.  However Beth does feature a lot in this story and we get a great continuation of what is happening in her life, especially as Beth and Emily are old friends. 

I loved everything to do with Glendale Hall, it really felt like coming home to my own old friends, and it seems that Emily can't keep away.  She heads up to the Hall in a rush from London after discovering her boyfriend, has cheated on her.  Although that is only the tip of the issues with Greg but I'll leave you to discover those for herself. 

There is though a clear connection between Emily and Brodie, the sexy local vicar, who doesn't act how you may expect a vicar to behave.  I loved him!  

This is just such a warm and friendly feeling book, that had me on the verge of tears at time, had me smiling at others, and generally had me within its thrall from start to finish.   I loved it. 

Thank you to Keshini at Hera Books for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Coming Home To Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters

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Title: Coming Home To Glendale Hall

Author: Victoria Walters

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Hera 

Publication Date: 25th September 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

No matter how far you go, home is where the heart is...

Beth Williams hasn’t been home for ten years. After falling pregnant at sixteen, she ran away from the imposing Scottish estate where she grew up rather than risk her family’s disapproval, working hard to build a life for herself and daughter Isabelle - but now she’s finally returning to Glendale Hall.

As Beth tries to mend her broken family ties, and fights to bring the community of Glendale back together, she realises that the story she has told herself for a decade might well be a very different one from the truth. Even though she ran from Glendale it has never left her heart. And, she soon realises, neither has Drew – Beth’s first love.

Will Beth be able to forgive her mother and grandmother (and herself) for what happened ten years ago? What will Drew say when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him for so long? Can a festive trail bring the village back together?

Will Christmas work its magic on Glendale - or will Beth be forced to run away from it all over again?

A charming, uplifting novel that will warm your heart – the perfect read to curl up with this autumn. Fans of Trisha Ashley, Debbie Johnson and Cathy Bramley
will love this gorgeously romantic read.

This is so much more than a Christmas book, although the festivities do take up a good part of the story.   It is more a book about family, forgiveness, and a fight to save a local high street and thus the community of Glendale. 

It's the first time that Beth has been back to Glendale Hall in 10 years, and the first time her daughter Isabelle  has ever been to Scotland, not to mention the Hall.   Beth has only returned because it may be her grandmother's last Christmas, and it felt like the right thing to do, even though it may have been her fault that Beth left the Hall all those years ago. 

There is 10 years of hurt to try to get past, and Beth is amazed how much has changed in Glendale, and how at home she and her daughter seem to feel there.  There are so many fabulously heart warming storylines in this book, and they all work so well. 

I loved everything about this book especially all the festive celebrations, but also ... well no I do mean everything. I'm not going to list fabulous things about this book, you are best discovering them for yourself. 

From the first few pages this story captured my heart, and it was a sheer joy to read it.  Between old friends, old loves, and rediscovering a love of Glendale and her family, it truly is a wonderful book.   I enjoyed curling up with it and throwing myself into loving every second of it. 

Definitely a book to add to your winter reading pile! 

Thank you to Hera on Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Summer at the Kindness Cafe by Victoria Walters - Blog Tour

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Title: Summer at the Kindness Cafe

Author: Victoria Walters

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source:Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 13th June 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Escape to the beautiful town of Littlewood with this heart-warming read, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Holly Hepburn and Jo Thomas. 

Welcome to Brew, a cafe where kindness is almost as important as coffee... almost!

Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Her sister, Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, is hoping to fulfil her husband's dying wish: to reunite his family.

This summer, three very different women are inspired by the random acts of kindness written up on the Kindness Board at Brew, and decide to make a pact to be kinder to others and to themselves.

Can a little bit of kindness really change your life? Eszter, Abbie and Louise are about to find out!

**Summer at the Kindness Cafe was previously published as a four-part serial titled Random Acts of Kindness. This is the complete story in one package.**

Wow what a simply wonderful book this is, all about being kind to each other and paying the kindness forward.   

Originally published in four novellas each part could in theory be read as a standalone, as there are small reminders at the start of each, so if you are reading it as a full book, expect a small bit of repetition from earlier in the book, as it was originally published over a period of time.    

What I do find though is that I always loved reading these combined books and find that due to the way each part needs to hook readers itself that the book was extremely addictive and kept throwing out little curve-balls to entice you to keep on reading. And I loved it for it. 

Upon meeting our three leading ladies I was hooked into all of their stories instantly.   Louise, two years on is  still recovering from heartbreak, but there may be a new potential man in her life, if she decides to give love a chance.     Then there is Abbie, Louise's sister who is determined to be moving back to London, as she is convinced there will be nothing for her in Littlewood.   Although a certain project may be enough to change her mind. 

Then there is Ezter and young daughter Zoe, who have come over to England for the summer, to see where her late husband grew up, and to fulfil his dying wish, which is easier said than done. 

The three all meet in Brew, the local cafe on Ezter and Abbie's first day in Littlewood and a friendship springs up instantly and all because of the kindness board in the cafe. 

This has such a lovely small village feel to it, and the focus shifts around our three main  characters so we get to see them up close, and personal. 

It's such a charming book and it screams kindness as you, from small things you can do for a person, to slightly larger more obvious things.  I would have loved to live in Littlehampton with such a lovely feel good feel to the place. 

This may only be the second book I've read by this author but it certainly won't be the last. Any book I can read and devour and be hooked on so quickly is a winner in my book! 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Please follow along with the awesome bloggers on this tour. 

Book Review - The Second Love of My Life by Victoria Walters

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Title: The Second Love of My Life

Author: Victoria Walters

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: 7th April 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

In the Cornish town of Talting, everyone is famous for something.

Until recently Rose was known for many things: her infectious positivity; her unique artistic talent; and her devotion to childhood sweetheart Lucas.

But two years ago that changed in one unthinkable moment. Now, Rose is known for being the young woman who became a widow aged just twenty-four.

Though Rose knows that life must go on, the thought of carving out a new future for herself is one she can barely entertain. Until a newcomer, Robert, arrives in Talting for the summer...

Can Rose allow herself the chance to love again?

The Second Love of my Life is a beautifully written, inspiring and uplifting book about one woman's journey to a second happiness in her life. 

Rose is young, but widowed, when the love of her life Lucas suddenly died, and two years on she is still coming to terms with it all. She used to be known before that as an artist in her native town of Talting in Cornwall, but hasn't painted since Lucas passed. When Rose decides to sell the rest of her paintings she doesn't expect to meet Robert, who loves her paintings and slowly works his way into her life. 

There is a huge shock right in the middle of the book that I would never have seen coming, and in the aftermath of it, you see just what an amazing person Rose is. 

I loved the whole of this book, from the loving community feel of the Cornish village, to her close friendship with Emma and John, to the new pet she gets that is just the start of the changes in her slowly re-opening her heart to love, all the way to some of the descriptions of paintings and just what Rose is feeling. 

There is a section where Roses's feelings are talked about quite in depth, but in such an eloquent way, I did stop and take note of just how wonderful the writing was. 

Before I started this story, I had assumed it would be a slow emotional, possibly sad story, but what I discovered very fast what a wonderful turn of phrase Victoria Walters has, just how upbeat, and hopeful the story is. The Second Love of My Life is a very impressive debut novel, from an author I suspect could have a promising future in writing. 

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Headline for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.