Thursday 4 August 2016

Book Review - What Happens at the Beach... by T.A. Williams

Amazon UK
Title: What Happens at the Beach...
Author: T.A.Williams
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Carina
Publication Date: 11th July 2016
Rating: 4 Stars

For the perfect summer romance…

It’s finally time for Natalie Dryden to decide what she really wants! After ditching her sparkling engagement ring, and her ghastly fiancĂ©, she jets off for the sun-kissed shores of Southern France – the only place that has ever truly felt like home. For the first time ever, Natalie is determined to forget all about men and follow her dreams!

…head to the French coast!

Only, avoiding the male population isn’t quite so easy, especially when she meets smooth-talking Philippe and gorgeous fisherman, Remy! But then Natalie, quite literally, bumps into brooding millionaire Mark whilst swimming in the glittering azure-blue bay – and her life is turned upside-down.

Love might be off the cards for Natalie, yet suddenly she finds herself in her dream job and working with her dream man! But is it all too good to be true…?

First I must just praise how bright and summery the cover is, really gets you in the mood for summer. What Happens at the Beach is a pleasing romance with three dashing French men who could all have been the romantic interest in the book, as well as an ex-fiancee who I'm so glad we didn't have much more than a chapter of contact with, a sunny location in Southern France, a wonderful grandma and of course Barney. 

T.A. Williams has a habit of having a dog somewhere in this books, so I am going to just praise what a wonderful labrador Barney is now, he is easily one of the most well trained and best behaved dogs I have encountered for a while and is incredibly good at sitting under a table and not begging for food, knowing he will be rewarded after his master has eaten. 

Natalie has escaped to France after breaking up with the ex-fiancee, and has sworn herself off men for the summer. She is staying with Colette her gran. She has just completed her studies in Medieval History and while she is in France attempts to get a job with her new qualification. 

When Mark hires her as a research assistant, as she conveniently is a specialist in the period that Mark is hoping to set a work of fiction in, it means they have to spend a large amount of time together, travelling around various regions in France which have relevance to the Cathars. 

Unforunately I am not a history buff, and felt the amount of detail that went into on some of the road trips and discussions between Mark and Natalie made me feel like I was reading historical fiction at one point, and at another I did have doubts as to how much more history, especially religious history I was going to be able to put up with. 

I was though very impressed and amused with the level of detail expressed, implying that T.A. Williams must have had his own research assistant to help research that role and the subject matter! 

The locations gave a good sense of France and I loved so much about the book, however it just didn't quite please me the way previous books by the author have, mainly due to the amount of history. That being said it clearly has all of the author's normal trademarks and I loved discovering just who Natalie would end up with, as I did have my doubts as to whether she would choose who I thought she would. 

I was fortunate to be able to read this on a hot summery day in my garden and it definitely does make you long for hot summery days as you delve into this enjoyable tale. 

Thank you to Carina and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...