Book Review - The Hopeful Hearts Bookshop by Debbie Johnson

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Amazon UK

Title: The Hopeful Hearts Bookshop

Author: Debbie Johnson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 30th April 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

Take a leap of faith and come and visit our perfect little bookshop by the sea. You’ll find a warm welcome, friendship, and maybe even a new beginning…

Kate is more surprised than anyone to find herself, suitcase in hand, outside a bookshop in the middle of a tiny Scottish village, where seagulls cry and the sea is a shimmering blue. But when an anonymous invitation to Bonnie Bay fell from the pages of a book, it felt like the perfect way to escape her dead-end job and memories of her ex.

Twinkly-eyed and eccentric owner Moira gives Kate a haven in her cozy cottage. Moira sent the invitations out into the world, offering a fresh start to those who need it… but now, Moira can’t manage the shop alone. It breaks Kate’s heart to see the sweet elderly lady lose the place she loves.

And that’s the least of Kate’s problems. Brody, a grumpy, six-foot-four, silver fox arrives at the bookshop with an invitation just like hers. The only place for him to stay? Moira’s cottage, too…

But beneath his gruff exterior Brody has a warm heart. Soon he’s volunteering to help turn the shop around. And as they string fairy lights, fill the shop with cozy cushions, and mend the broken shelves, things between Kate and Brody are quickly heating up in surprising ways!

But will the bookshop – and the spark between them – last beyond the summer? Or will their fresh start come crashing down?

From the million-copy bestselling author of the Comfort Food Café series comes a brand-new, totally addictive and feel-good escapist romance with delicious steam and spice. Perfect for anyone who loves getting lost in a book – in more ways than one! Fans of Susan Mallery, Phillipa Ashley and Laurie Gilmore won’t be able to put this down.

What is fast becoming apparent to me is how amazing Debbie Johnson is at creating the most amazing settings for her books and series. 

Bonnie Bay felt pretty much instantly comfortable to me, there is a wonderful cast of locals in the village and I loved the idea of Moira sending out these postcards into the world, in the hopes that people will take her up on her kind offer of a place to stay. 

Both Kate and Brody find one of these postcards and for vastly different reasons they both decide to give it a shot, in Kate's case she is trying to see if she can become less invisible.  In Brody's, he is dreading going back home to Chicago, after settling his daughter into University in the UK.  

They are polar opposites, but you know what they say about opposites. 

And the bookshop itself needs a great deal of work but as Kate and Brody play to their respective strengths, it doesn't just bring hope to themselves it brings hope to Moira too - who had given up on the shop after an accident.  

There are many wonderful heartwarming moments in this, as well as some incredibly spicy ones.  I was loving every single word of this fabulous book.  And I can't wait to return to Bonnie Bay in the next book. 

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

Book Review - Anything For Love by Joanna Bolouri - #HolidayReading Dom Rep

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Amazon UK

Title: Anything For Love

Author: Joanna Bolouri

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Quercus

Publication Date: 21st May 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

A hilarious and heartfelt rom-com for anyone who's lost their faith in love.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO FIND THE ONE?

Sophie Smalls is happy with her life. She has a fabulous flat in London, a high-flying career in advertising, wonderful friends and a family she adores. But recently, something has been playing on her mind.

Sophie is in her mid-forties and has never been in love. And when she sees on Instagram that the only man she's ever properly fancied is engaged, a thought that was nagging at her becomes a full-blown crisis.

Panicked google searches follow, but luckily the internet is full of articles on how to fall in love and where to find it. One in particular catches her eye: '365 days of Yes' by Alex Stewart. Sophie decides to use this article as a guide - to say yes to everything and to put herself out there at all costs . . . to do anything for love. What could go wrong?

It's always a delight to read a book from Joanna Bolouri and this one was absolutely no exception. 

This was a story full of humour, and I absolutely loved Sophie's decision to have a year of saying yes to everything in the hopes of possibly finding love in an unexpected place. 

This leads to her having all sorts of adventures and then she takes a cruise.  As a massive cruise fan, I loved hearing about the ship, itinerary and all the fellow guests that Sophie meets. There are characters that I would definitely recognise, and the descriptions of the ports were really good too. 

I really enjoyed seeing what men Sophie was able to meet, and just seeing what was wrong with each of them. 

This was such an entertaining read that kept making me smile. Between the dating disasters and then the sunshine of the cruise, everything was a delight for me.  What a great poolside read, 

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

Book Review - Sleuths by Samantha Moody

Amazon UK

Title: Sleuths

Author: Samantha Moody

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 21st May 2026

Rating: 4 Stars

SHE’S A FAN

Melody runs a fan account for TV’s hottest regency romance actor, Griff Beckett. But when one of the photos she posts shows Griff in a romantic position with an unknown woman, angry fans turn on Melody and accuse her of the ultimate fan betrayal: posting a fake picture.

HE’S A CELEBRITY

Hurt and angry, Melody sets out to prove the photo is real and their favourite actor is no longer single…until, instead of a girlfriend, she finds a missing person report.

AND HE’S…KIDNAPPED SOMEONE?

It should be a job for the authorities, but nobody will take Melody seriously. She'll have to team up with her internet friends, and a (distractingly sexy) journalist, Levi, to save the day.

Can Melody solve the case, save the girl, and get her dream man in the process?

The perfect sexy and thrilling rom-com for fans of Butcher & Blackbird and Love in the Time of Serial Killers

Once I properly got into this book, it was practically unputdownable for me.  

But it took me a while to get that stage, possibly as I wasn't overly keen on Melody, but once her investigation into something initially was rather frivolous - does Griff actually have a girlfriend and is it or isn't it his co-star, turns into something much darker I was intrigued and invested into the outcome. 

Melody is a youtuber who posts specific fan relegated content for her favourite TV show, and is part of a ultra fan community for the programme. They are all obsessed with every single element of it, and it seems as though the story is highlighting just how toxic these sorts of fandoms can become. 

But at the same time, it also celebrates a fandom in a totally unexpected way and this is part of why I ultimately loved the book. But to go into the most exciting and fabulous bits of the book would definitely be spoilers so I will refrain. 

Melody isn't alone in her amateur detectives, her two moderators also are keen to help out and she also ends up involved with a journalist, but there is just something about him that makes you wonder just what side he is on. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there are elements of danger, some romance, all manner of thrilling antics, and some engaging writing. And even a hint that I think there might be a sequel. 

Loved this team of sleuths! 

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

Book Review - Ride The Wave by Katherine Reilly

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Amazon UK

Title: Ride The Wave

Author: Katharine Reilly

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: 19th June 2025

Rating: 5 Stars

In surfing, everyone's chasing the perfect ride...

Twelve years ago, Leo Silva was a world champion surfer-until reckless partying and tabloid scandals ended his career. After a mysteriously sudden and early retirement, Leo retreated to a sleepy seaside village in Portugal, where he's remained out of the spotlight ever since. But when he receives a surprise invitation to compete in Australia's legendary Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach contest, the news of his comeback sends shockwaves through the surf world.

Enter Iris Gray, an ambitious sports journalist from London. Her editor wants her to make Leo and his comeback the topic of glossy Studio magazine's next big feature, but there's one small catch – he happens to be the son of TV star and media proprietor Michelle Martin, the owner of Studio. With a lot of pressure riding on this project and Iris's career hanging in the balance, there's simply no room for mistakes.

When Iris flies to Portugal, she expects to uncover the truth behind Leo's infamous past, but she is unprepared for his stubbornness-or the undeniable chemistry that simmers between them. But as her interviewee and the boss's son, Leo is strictly off-limits...

With a fierce rival threatening to derail Leo's comeback and the competition fast approaching, can they stay focused on their goals, or will love pull them under?

No matter what sort of romance Katherine Reilly turns her hands to (I say that having read her books under other pen names), I am always impressed and I greatly enjoyed Ride The Wave. 

I can't recall the last time I read a book that featured Surfing as it's main attraction, and not just any old surfing big time competitive surfing, and a surfer who is on the comeback trail. Leo has reluctantly agreed to be interviewed, for one of his mother's publications. 

The interviewer assigned to the job is sports journalist Isla, who is amazingly skilled at trying to draw information out of a person without them realising.  She also normally totally immerses herself in the sport of her subject.  Just one snag in this instance she is terrified of the water. 

Set in a small town in the Algarve, I fell for the community there, and really loved Leo's support system. And as Leo starts to open up, I fell for him too.  And the scenes where he helps Isla with her fear really melted my heart. 

And the actual competitive surfing action was definitely well researched, it matched up to my understanding of the sport from watching the coverage for both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. 

I read this book on a nice sunny afternoon in the garden, and into the evening, and devoured it. I couldn't get enough of the characters and enjoyed every last second of it. 

I really need to get around to reading this author's other sports romances that I do have copies of.  I can't wait to see what she does with Tennis and Polo, given how much I loved her surfing writing. 

Thank you to Aria for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

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Amazon UK

Title: In A Holidaze

Author: Christina Lauren

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 7th October 2021

Rating: 4 Stars

It's the most wonderful time of the year . . . but not for Maelyn Jones. She's living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favourite place in the world - the snowy cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born. Mentally melting down as she drives away for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, everything goes black . . . When Mae gasps awake, she's back on an airplane, beginning the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop - and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren's trademark hilarious hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

Picked this up off my bookshelf to read in the garden the day before I went on holiday. Didn't double check the blurb and before I started it, just figured I was definitely in a holiday mood, so would read a book with Holidaze in the title. 

Didn't take me long to realise I was in fact reading a Christmas book in April, ah well I absolutely love a Christmas book, and this was absolutely no exception. 

I loved the groundhog day idea, but that bit felt slightly under developed as we don't get too many repeats of the same day, nor did I feel like there was any real idea as to why it happened in the first place.  

But putting that to aside, I loved getting to know Mae and Andrew's families as they holiday together in a cabin over Christmas, as they do each year.  And Mae is determined to avoid at least one of the mistakes she made the first time over, but will she ever stop repeating this Christmas period. 

There are some lovely characters, and I adored Uncle Bennie in particular, who seemed like the perfect sort of eccentric relative to believe that Mae is time travelling. 

This is a highly enjoyable Christmas, with bonkers family members, family traditions, I loved the sledding and snow creature competitions, as well as seeing if Mae is brave enough to change her life for the better, with what appears to be multiple extra chances to change. things. 

Book Review - Magical Beginnings in Little Beaubrook by Bella Brightside

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Amazon UK

Title: Magical Beginnings in Little Beaubrook

Author: Bella Brightside

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author Supplied copy

Publisher:  Self published

Publication Date: 5th March 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

'I haven't lived an extraordinary life, but I will always, always remember I once had an extraordinary love.'

Hidden away in the English countryside, a village like no other is waiting to be found...

In Little Beaubrook, the mists are parting to reveal a manor that glows gold and quaint thatched cottages waiting for the right people to bring them back to life. On moving in day, a diverse group of new neighbours find they have more in common than they could have imagined. Each one has suffered heartbreak in their own way, and all have signed a mysterious contract with some very unusual stipulations - including purchasing a cottage for just one pound.

As Chair of the commonhold association, Albie Curville is determined to unite them to fulfill his late wife's dying wish, using her wise rules for living to bring them together. But as time runs short and his own secret threatens to be revealed, will they be able to overcome their pasts and save Little Beaubrook - a community built on kindness, friendship, and a manor with a history of helping those most in need?

Escape to this enchanting lost village and immerse yourself in a heartwarming story of love, found family, second chances and the power of community to heal.

What an utterly heartwarming, charming and just slightly magical novel.  

I started reading this before I went to bed one night and quickly realised I should read at least one chapter from each of the main characters just to start getting to know our cast, and that then quickly turned into well I may as well read another one from each just to really get the various people straight in my mind.  It's a large varied cast but they all have their reasons and needs for moving to Little Beaubrook. 

And Albie is at the heart of it, trying to honour his late wife's wishes, and also tries to live his life by her rules for kindness. 

There really is a hint of magic in this, as the house and then the village which they are trying to restore, is doing its own part, very subtly.  It just shows that houses can really be sentient and also absorb previous resident's energies. 

Toni's story is told via diary entries, and perhaps has the most character development of everyone, as she slowly starts to heal and gain confidence again.  But everyone has something they are trying to find, rediscover about themselves, or a way of coming into their own.   And although a very different group of strangers at the start, all living in apartments in the same building, Albie is instrumental in starting to turn it into a real community. 

There is plenty of depth to the characters, and ultimately it's a book that made me smile a lot, and also made me hope that humanity could all be a lost more like the characters in this book.  Kindness whether to yourself or to others if a philosophy that many more people should live by, and is especially relevant in the troubled times we find ourselves in. 

I loved every second of this book.  Just wonderful. 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Lift Me Up by Milly Johnson

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Amazon UK

Title: Lift Me Up

Author: Milly Johnson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Publication Date: 1st May 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

A heartwarming story from Sunday Times bestseller Milly Johnson. Tam Remington had her life planned out. Until a conversation in a broken lift—with her worst enemy—changes everything.

For a decade, Tam has quietly held YorkMart together whilst others took the credit, making herself smaller in the process. When she’s briefly promoted to acting Managing Director, she finally has a chance to shine—until her promotion is snatched away and handed to Jack Cesaroni—the man brought in to do the job that should have been hers.

Tam expects nothing but disappointment from Jack. But when they’re trapped in a lift between floors thirteen and fourteen, he sees what no one else has: Tam is exceptional. That single word of recognition sparks something Tam thought she’d lost—and an unexpected connection she never saw coming.

Now Tam faces an impossible choice: stay being the smaller version of herself she’s become used to, or take a leap and reclaim the vibrant, authentic woman she once was—and discover how wonderful it could be if she lets someone see the real her…

For fans of Jenny Colgan and Jill Mansell, this enemies-to-lovers story shows sometimes you need to get stuck to find your true self.

What a totally charming short story. 

The more Tam described her relationship with Harris, the more I wanted to knock some sense into her.  

I loved the conversations between Tam and Jack in the lift,  I loved how unfiltered she was being, in part due to fear and in part because she was convinced she was about to lose her job once they actually got to the meeting she was headed to. 

I really felt for Tam, and for anyone who identifies with her, as she is a wonderful person, just overlooked continually. Something far too many women can relate too. 

This was a lovely enjoyable bite sized read from one of my favourite authors.  Short stories  and novellas take a lot of skill to feel like a complete story, and this one certainly did.  There was character growth, there was hints of the author's normal humour, and it had heart in abundance.   

I devoured this in about an hour and it's certainly scratched the itch for a new Milly Johnson novel until the next full length one is released. 

Book Review - The Other Lizzie Bennet by Rosie Green

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Amazon UK

Title: The Other Lizzie Bennet

Author: Rosie Green

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied Copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 31st January 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

There's 'pride' and 'prejudice' in the air! Lizzie Bennet, new recruit at the Little Duck Pond Café, is well used to people teasing her about her name. Actually, she rather likes the fact she shares it with one of author Jane Austen's most popular heroines. But her life is about to become complicated by a very annoying stranger . . . She thinks he's a pompous stuffed shirt. He thinks she's too judgemental. But with an intriguing mystery to solve together, can love blossom?

It's weird, I'm not a historical type of person, the only Austen I've ever read was Pride and Prejudice for GCSE English, over 20 years ago, but when you give me a book full of Austen fans, I tend find it extra special to read. 

And that is certainly the case in this latest book in Rosie Green's long running series.  Featuring a brand new character of Lizzie Bennet, she is intrigued when one of her regular customers gives her a bit of a mystery to solve, featuring a box of found in an attic that was dating back to Regency times. 

As she tries to discover more about the contents of this box and just whether it means what she really hope it means, along side Dante who she had met a few times, but never in circumstances that made her look great,  they start to really get to know each other. 

Lizzie though has a boyfriend in Wyatt who is larger than life, and is determined to make the local Regency Romp festival a big success.  But the more I saw of Wyatt the less I liked him. 

I loved this story a  lot, with very few mentions of the regular cast of characters this perhaps more than some of the others in this series can totally standalone and be a good introduction to the this author and series. 

I really enjoyed getting to know Lizzie, and also learning about her homelife, as her family is trying to get used to life without her dad, and coping in very many different ways.  

This was another fabulous book in this series, and once again manages to feel fresh too. 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - How Can I Resist You? by Jeevani Charika

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Amazon UK

Title: How Can I Resist You?

Author: Jeevani Charika

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 6th November 2025

Rating: 5 Stars

Vidya isn’t in Waterloo Bay for a holiday. Officially, she’s visiting the beautiful, quirky seaside town for work – but unofficially, she’s on a mission. One of her colleagues hooked up with her sister at a party, and now her sister is pregnant. As the sensible one in the family, it’s Vidya's job to find out who he is.

But there’s a catch: all she has to go on is a vague description of a chest tattoo. Vidya has just two weeks to glimpse her colleagues shirtless without getting fired, but crazy hotel guests, malicious seagulls and her pesky day job keep getting in the way.

And then there’s Leo, the most frustrating, patronising, handsome man she’s ever met…

Perfect for fans of:

💗 Forced proximity

💗 Office romance

💗 Small town

Vidya is on an seemingly impossible mission with her new work assignment. Not only  does she have to work with Leo who no one in the company seems to want to work with, and Chase, she also has to try to work out just who impregnated her younger sister with a one night stand and Vidya's works's Valentine's party. 

But Udeni can't really remember much about the man she slept with, other than a tattoo and some vague personality markers, and which work team he was part of. 

So Vidya needs to find out all about Chase without giving away the real reason as they are fairly sure it can't be Leo, and another friend is doing the same with Piotr who is the other possible father. 

What doesn't help is they have a mountain of work to do, and Vidya is very quickly realising she might be a teeny tiny bit interested in Leo,  but she needs info on Chase.  And it all gets rather confusing for them as no one seems to be able to articulate themselves. 

I really fell for Leo myself, he can be slightly awkward at times, but he is adorable with it, and I really enjoyed seeing how everything played out. 

What was really lovely to see is just how strong the relationship is between Vidya and her sister.  And the more I got to know both ladies, the more I liked them. 

I love this author's writing style and found this was a really fast book to read. Another fabulous story from her.  

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

Book Review - Forty Love by Jane Costello

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Amazon UK

Title: Forty Love

Author: Jane Costello

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 5th May 2026

Rating: 4 Stars

It's never too late for a comeback!

Single mum Jules lives next to a tennis club, but has no plans to play. Especially when her old school crush, handsome doctor Sam Delaney, returns thirty years after he left and is now displaying a killer forehand in direct view of her bedroom window.

But when she's hit by an unprecedented wave of anxiety - brought on by her 19-year-old daughter's solo trip around the world - she's in urgent need of a distraction and rashly agrees to join an amateur women's tennis team. They are desperate for players. The fact that she doesn't really play doesn't seem to matter . . .

As rallies are hit and friendships are formed, Jules is astonished to find herself in the grip of a passionate, all-consuming relationship . . . and not only with the tennis. But will these sexy encounters she keeps stumbling into with Sam put her on course to a devastating double fault?

What a lovely book this was.  

I really enjoyed getting to know Jules and see her slowly come out of her shell and despair of an empty nest, as she rediscovers her love of Tennis. 

If you don't know much about tennis, or the scoring has always confused you, don't worry there isn't too much match play itself, but it centres around the friendships that can be formed when you are playing a sport and some of the training. 

I enjoyed getting to know Jules and her new friends, and the reintroduction of Sam into her life was fun to see.  It's clear she has some sort of attraction to him, like she did as a teen, but life is significantly more complicated now, and she is unsure whether to trust her heart. 

I also really loved getting to know her daughter who is on a gap year trip, and keeps updating her mum with her antics, and give or take almost setting off on the whole trip without her passport, and some of the updates really were entertaining, even if they caused Jules to panic more. 

Jules; work isn't going as well as it could be, and that storyline I was also rather invested in, and was curious to see how it would all turn out. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and it's another really good book from Jane Costello. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.