Book Review - The Beekeeper's Cottage by Emma Davies - #HolidayReading Madeira

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Amazon UK

Title: The Beekeeper's Cottage

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 6th August 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Comforted by the gentle hum of the beehives at the bottom of the garden, Grace drains the last of her tea and walks slowly back towards the little hillside house she adores. Her marriage is over, but is it too late to start her life again?

Beekeeper Grace thought throwing out her cheating husband would be the hardest thing she ever did. But when she opens the door to a property developer one morning, it’s clear that keeping her beautiful home and garden – her only sanctuary throughout her miserable marriage – will be the greatest challenge of all…

Fleeing to her best friend at the farm next door, Grace blurts out all her problems, only to be overheard by Amos, a handsome, free-spirited visitor with a twinkle in his eye. Fascinated by Grace and her bees, Amos offers to stay in the village of Hope Corner, to help turn her home into a guest house in return for lessons on beekeeping.

As Grace shows Amos how to nurture a hive and harvest honeycomb without getting stung, he is charming but secretive. He never stays long in the same place after an incident in his past involving a mysterious woman named Maria. But as their eyes lock over a jar of homemade honey, Grace can’t help feeling that she’d really like him to stay…

Determined to dispel her growing suspicion that Amos is running from something serious, Grace goes in search of the truth about Maria. But when she finds it, will she still want Amos to put down roots in Hope Corner, and will they still have a house to return to?

No matter how far they travel, bees will always find their way home…

I'm a huge fan of Emma Davies' writing, and there was something about this cover that drove me straight towards this book. 

I wasn't wrong to be lured in, its such a cosy story featuring Grace who is a keen beekeeper, and Amos who has been seen in a previous book of the authors and was great to see him given his own story. 

There is just something about Amos, that really makes me love him, he has a great approach to life, and you finally get to see his backstory. 

Grace in the meantime is trying to get divorced, but keep her much loved cottage and needs the help of her good friends and neighbours at Hope Blooms, to help her on this quest. 

I loved getting to know Flora and her family, and the pictures in my minds eye of her flower farm were so vivid and colourful. 

Some of Amos' scenes with an estate agent, as just pure gold, completely enjoyable. 

I found I was whizzing through the pages, and loving every second of it.  Plus I got learn new things about bees!

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

Book Review - The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street by Emma Davies

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Amazon UK

Title: The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 16th October 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Daisy Turner has worked at Buchanan’s Family Jewellers since the day she finally escaped her troubled home. With a unique talent for matching the perfect piece of jewellery to any romantic milestone, she painstakingly polishes each stunning creation every morning and safely locks them away each night, longing for the day she’ll have a love story to call her own…

But everything changes one day in December when the owner announces she is retiring. She will leave the shop to whichever of her three sons creates the perfect piece of Christmas jewellery for Daisy.

In danger of losing the job that once saved her, Daisy is catapulted out of her comfort zone as each of the brothers sweeps her off her feet to find out what her heart truly desires. Between ice-skating, starlight shopping and cosy candle-lit dinners, it’s only handsome and guarded youngest brother Kit who really seems to be listening. Because Daisy has a secret. Every night, when the shop closes, she lays out her tools in neat rows and creates sparkling designs of her own…

As Christmas Day approaches, Daisy’s growing feelings for Kit fill her with a confidence she never knew she had. But as the brothers present their elaborate gemstone masterpieces, she’s in for the shock of her life… Was Kit using her to get ahead in the competition all along? Or has he truly worked out the one thing she has always longed for?

They say all good things come in small packages, but the best things don’t need wrapping at all…

From the first chapter I was utterly enchanted, and just knew this story was going to get under my skin. 

It is such a warm hug of a book, really cosy,  with a lovely story at the heart of it, a sprinkle of Christmas magic, a few interesting days out, getting to know three very different brothers, and also Daisy' s secret past as a well as her soon to be no so secret talents too. 

Daisy has a simple life, does the same thing every day, likes things just as they are, is possibly an even fussier eater than me (which does give me great hope that I'm not utterly hopeless),  and generally regards Buchanan's as her life saving job, having worked there since the age of 17. 

She may not be the biggest fan of the sorts of expensive jewellery that she sells there, but she is a romantic at heart, and loves hearing all the different love stories, as she tries to pair the perfect piece to the perfect partner, even if it may not be the best option for the shops profit margins. 

However this December everything changes when Bea, the owner of Buchanan's announces her intention to retire at the end of the year, and is running a competition between her 3 incredibly different sons to see which one will get the business.   And Daisy is at the heart of it as they each have to come up with the perfect present for her, and Bea will judge on Christmas Eve. 

I really enjoyed seeing the three brothers bicker amongst themselves, the way that Daisy attempted to spend a day with each of them, marvelling at Daisy's integrity, while also incredibly interested not only in that story line but the far more creative one, that means fans of Emma Davies this year were treated to glimpses of Flora and Ned, and Grace and Amos from her other releases this year. 

I won't go into details on that section as frankly I enjoyed not knowing in advance, and discovering for myself but to say its integral to everything seems fair.  Amos yet again even in the small ways he was present was a fabulous addition to the book.  This though is 100% a standalone story, and if you weren't aware of the previous book connections, you wouldn't even notice them, but its more a nice addition for the authors fans.

And the brothers, wow just how different are they, I really wasn't sure  how things would turn out, but I had a massive massive smile on my face by the end of the book, it was just perfect. 

An utterly charming, sweet, cosy romance, guaranteed to warm the hardest of hearts this Christmas and filled me with great hope too. 

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

Book Review - Christmas at the Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

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Amazon UK

Title: Christmas at the Little Cottage on the Hill

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 26th October 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

One twinkling winter’s night, Ruby wakes her sleeping children and escapes for a new life in the countryside. It’s a choice that will change her life beyond all recognition…

Arriving at the cosy little rental cottage as the first snow begins to fall, Ruby doesn’t regret leaving her bully of a husband for a moment, but she does feel guilty about uprooting her kids so close to Christmas. She can only wish that one day soon her son Jem will forgive her.

It’s not long before the family are settled in and drinking hot chocolate by the fire, the flames kept roaring by a neighbouring woodsman called Angus. As big as a tree, but as gentle as a dormouse, all Ruby’s instincts tell her to be wary of letting this gorgeous stranger get too close. Is that the first tingle of festive magic Ruby can feel? Or might it even be hope?

As Christmas day approaches and a blizzard sparks a power cut across the entire village, Ruby must force herself to believe in Christmas miracles again. Was she right to put her trust in Angus? With only flickering candles to guide her through the darkness, will she ever find her way back to the light? 

Wow talk about saving the best for last in a series - although really if the other parts hadn't been as great, then this wouldn't have been as amazing.  Talk about a perfect culmination for a series, at least I'm guessing there won't be another although I'd love to see the series run and run. 

For the entirety of the last quarter of the book, I was fighting tears almost constantly, predominately of joy and some of fear, which was rather awkward since I had saved the last bit to read in a restaurant with dinner!!  

It was just so good, and so romantic.  And I loved new character Ruby and her family, and the fledgling friendship with the local gentle giant Angus.  I would though have perhaps liked to have known a bit more of Ruby's background, but there were enough hints to give you a pretty good idea without it being too explicit. 

It was fabulous to catch up properly with Maddie, Trixie, Tom, Clara and all the series regulars. to see what they were all getting up to and to see plenty of familiar faces even just briefly.  Seeing Joy Acre all decorated for Christmas was so pretty, and  then there was a snowman competition which was really amusing. 

There are so many great moments in this book that I couldn't hope to mention them all. I'd suggest that you read this series in order, purely to get the full benefit of this book .  

I love every second of this book, and its definitely my favourite from Emma Davies. Such a joy to read, and I recommend it to anyone that loves Christmas books, this series, feel good fiction or just generally wants to be smiling while reading. 

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

Don't forget to look at all the other fabulous blogs on this blog tour:

Book Review - Return to the Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Return to the Little Cottage on the Hill

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 31st August 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

The climb up the hill takes her past sweet-smelling pink roses in full bloom and leads her to an utterly breathtaking view. Megan is happy to be home at last, but will her relationship have survived the journey? 

It has been a difficult few years for thirty-year-old Megan Forrester, completing her apprenticeship and trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with her gorgeous boyfriend, Liam.

She’s returned home to compete in a local craft competition. The prize is the chance to design beautiful new gates for the estate at the bottom of the hill, a job which could secure her future in the village forever.

As the contest gets underway, Megan is devastated when a rival design turns out to be almost identical to hers. Someone in the close-knit community must have leaked her sketches, but who? Is it the same person spreading heartbreaking rumours about Liam?

Down to the last few left in the competition, Megan throws her heart and soul into a show-stopping final piece… but will winning even matter when the truth about Liam is finally revealed?

I'm not sure what I can say about this that I haven't already said about the first two books in this series. It was a such a joy to back at Joy Acres with Maddie, Seth, Tom, Clara and Trixie it felt as though i was returned home. 

For despite what the blurb says to me Clara is the main character of this book, of the main people that are at Joy Acre, it is her turn to find romance, and to go on a journey of self discovery.  I am not sure how much thought I had given to her before this book, other than in a supporting role, but I now feel as though I know her a whole lot better. 

The story takes in her friendship with Trixie and how it all changes when a TV producer comes to town and wants to make the pair of them stars of a cooking and gardening show. 

So who is the Megan that the blurb focuses on you may ask? Well she is staying at Joy Acre farm and taking part in the blacksmithing contest held up the the big manor house owned by Agatha who featured in the first book of the series. 

Some chapter did focus on Megan and I found the blacksmithing contest interesting as its a skill I have never really thought about until this book and the finale to her storyline was incredibly gripping.  I just didn't feel as connected to her. 

It was fabulous to catch up with old friends and this book could easily be read as a standalone.  It was lovely to see a bit more of Agatha and my feelings towards her have softened with how she is in this book.    I really enjoyed reading this book, given how familiar the setting and characters are now it made the pages zoom past until I ran out! 

This is another great addition to the series and I am eagerly awaiting the next book which I hope will give Trixie a love interest!  

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

Book Review - Summer At The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

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Amazon UK

Title: Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 30th May 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Take an endless stroll through wild meadows and breathe in the sweet aroma of flowers in full bloom. The first ever guest at the little cottage on the hill is looking for an escape, but her past is not far behind her… 

Thirty-two-year-old ‘ice queen’ Isobel slams the cottage door and pulls the curtains shut. She has just six weeks to practise for a secret project that could save her career and no one must know she is here. 

When Tom, the local thatcher with eyes as blue and deep as the ocean, hears the sound of her violin on the breeze he feels a tug at his heart-strings that reminds him of happier times. Who is this mysterious new lodger, and why does she look so familiar? 

Desperate to find out more, Tom is devastated when Isobel refuses to enjoy everything the farm has to offer. He won’t give in, but just when it looks like Isobel is coming out of her shell, someone recognises her and the troubles from her past threaten to take away everything she has been working towards. 

Will the lessons Isobel learned at the little cottage help her to stand up and face the music? Will Tom ever find a way to unlock the emotion she needs to move on? 

What a joyous occasion it was to be able to revisit Joy Acres farm and the wonderful cast of characters there.  I had been missing Tom the thatcher since the previous book, so delighted to see he was one of the main characters this time around 

The new character and first guest to stay in The Gardener's cottage is Isobel, now without a doubt she is a talented violinist,  but it is also very clear that she is hiding things in her past, which she really doesn't want revealed. 

I was gripped just wanting to know more about Isobel as she a rather intriguing character, added to her fledgling friendship with Tom and some great character development and you have a book with many high points. 

I also loved that due to the nature of the series that I was able to catch up with all the key people from the first book. However if you haven't read The Little Cottage On The Hill then, well you have missed out, but not to worry as this one can easily be read as a standalone too. 

With every book that I read from Emma Davies I am becoming more and more impressed with her ability to tell a story and well written descriptions that transport you to the heart of the action. 

A thoroughly enjoyable book and I for one can only say, bring on the next book already, I want more from Joy Acres, as its a rather special setting. 

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

Book Review - The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

Amazon UK

Title: The Little Cottage on the Hill

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 19th February 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

There’s blossom in the trees and daffodils as far as the eye can see. Maddie is looking forward to a fresh start in the countryside, but there’s just one little problem…

Following a scandal at her high-flying PR agency, twenty-six-year-old Maddie flees London to help promote what she thinks is going to be a luxurious holiday retreat in the countryside. Everything is riding on her making a success of this new job…

Yet when she arrives, Maddie is horrified to find a rundown old farm in a terrible state. The brooding and secretive owner, Seth, spent all his money on leasing the land when he fell in love with the beautiful, dishevelled farm cottages and the very romantic story behind them.

When Maddie discovers an old oil painting by the original owner’s wife, she unlocks the secret of the farm’s history and quickly realises she must start getting her hands dirty if this very special place is going to have any chance of survival. As she and Seth begin working together, the stunning view from the top of the hill is not the only thing that’s leaving her breathless…

After weeks of hard work the dream looks like it might become a reality, until a secret from Maddie’s past threatens to snatch it all away again. Can Maddie find a way to save the business and herself? Will she finally find a place to keep her heart within the crumbling walls of the little cottage on the hill?

Another glorious story from Emma Davies, whose books are going up and up my need to read as soon as I get them list with each new book. 

Admittedly I did wonder at the opening of the book whether I had perhaps read too many books in the genre as it did feel quite familiar to me, but once you get into the nuts and bolts of the characters, the plot and the writing, it was a really heartwarming story. 

Like Maddie was, I wa drawn to this part of the Shropshire countryside and the story of the cottages and area. I loved all of Maddie's visions for the place, from the wildly inappropriate ones with her London brain still in gear, to things more inline with Seth's vision for the place once she finally understands what he is trying to achieve. 

One of the more surprising things I learnt from this book was all about thatching, which is unfortunately a dying craft, but one explained in a lot of detail.  It really was quite interesting to think about how many years of history the straw must be able to contain.  

I also loved Clara and her fierce protectiveness of Seth, although I could fully understand it once you are privy to their rather extraordinary background.  Generally  I loved all the main characters of this book and their sense of family despite none of them being related.  

The Little Cottage on the Hill is a charming story, that I enjoyed reading every second of, but I can't help but hope that this ins't the last we have seen of Maddie. 

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

Book Review - Lucy's Book Club for the Lost and Found by Emma Davies

Amazon UK

Title: Lucy's Book Club for the Lost and Found 

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook 

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 24th November 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Sometimes you’ve got to run away to find yourself… 

Twenty-four-year-old Lucy needs a fresh start. Forever single and frustrated with her studies she gives up everything to run a little library in the leafy village of Tilley Moreton. 

Lucy loves reading almost as much as she loves fixing other people’s problems, so starting a book club seems like the perfect opportunity to do both. As she meets her new members, it’s clear she’s going to have her work cut out for her. Handsome but silent Callum is the biggest puzzle of them all... 

But Lucy’s meddling begins to cause more problems than it solves, and no one is more surprised than Lucy when Callum steps in to help. Could there be more to him than people think? 

As Callum and Lucy start working together to fix the broken hearts of the library’s most loyal customers, the first sparks of romance begin to fly.

Can they right all the trouble Lucy has created, and might there be a chance for a happy ending of their own?

Simply fantastic, a wonderfully heart warming story about Lucy and the other people that attend her book club. 

Lucy is wonderful she besides being a book lover, also just wants to help her friends achieve their dreams. Some may see it as meddling but she had a good heart and really wants the best for everyone.  Somehow everything that happens in the story has Lucy as the catalyst to it. 

There is Lia who dreams of dancing and is currently her mothers carer, Hattie who is single mother to Poppy and having family troubles of her own. Oscar is a lot older than the others but he is hiding a secret and I was really touched by his story.  Then there is Callum, he is only 19, not from the best family in town, but is nothing like his parents or brothers. He has the signs of becoming a remarkable young man. 

In fact Callum is perhaps the surprise character of the group, and I loved seeing how he changed over the course of the story. Actually loved seeing all the characters development. 

It took me a short while to get into the rhythm of this book given it really has 5 main characters, and each gets a good amount of coverage, as the chapters change focus between a few of them. It does allow you to get to know all their situations really well. 

I'm becoming a huge fan of Emma Davies work, and this has made me even more impressed with her writing. It is a fabulous book and I'm so happy to have taken a break from my Christmas reading stacks to read it. 

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

Guest Post & Giveaway - Taking Chances... by Emma Davies - Chances Fortnight

I like taking chances, or flying by the seat of my pants as I call it. It does us good to fly without a safety net - it builds resilience and self-reliance, it helps us to solve problems, because like so many things in life there are no right or wrong answers, there are simply possibilities. Sometimes though the hardest thing can be recognising when a chance comes along, and being open to the possibility of choice and change, but I like to think that I’ve used the chances I’ve been given in my life well, they’ve certainly brought me much for which I’m grateful, and one in particular was to prove to be a catalyst for so much that followed.

In 1996, when I was twenty seven, my life (that I had hitherto thought well planned out) had reached something of an impasse. I had a failed marriage behind me, and was working in a boarding school ostensibly to lick my wounds, but at least it provided me with board and lodging, during term time anyway. An avid reader practically since birth, I had recently signed up as a volunteer with the RNIB to learn braille. Once qualified I would be able to transcribe printed books into braille for customer requests, and this seemed the perfect way to pass the long lonely evenings. To this day I cannot remember what put this idea into my head, or the sequence of events that allowed it to happen, but happen it did and I started my training.

About six months later, at the end of term, I was clearing up a dormitory with a colleague after the boarders had left for the holidays and came across a copy of The Guardian newspaper which a parent had left behind. I was scooping up rubbish into dustbin sacks at the time, and the paper was moments from being thrown away when the RNIB logo caught my eye. I hesitated, glanced at the paper again and in that moment chance intervened in my life. The logo was sitting at the top of an advert for a house manager at their school for the blind in Worcester. At the time I didn’t even know where that was, but I put the paper to one side and carried on clearing. It wasn’t until later that night that I had the opportunity to look at the paper once more.

The advert was a residential position for someone to manage a boarding house, and to care for 18 or so totally blind or visually impaired students in a home like setting, proving care and opportunities to learn life skills. I had no experience or qualifications in working with children with disabilities, but I was learning braille, and I wondered if this at least might get me an interview. On a whim, I applied. It would mean moving halfway across the country, to a place where I knew no-one, but chance was calling to me. So, on one very snowy day after a hellish journey on foot, buses, trains and taxis I arrived for an interview. The rest as they say is history…

I started work for the RNIB in January 1996 and one week later I met another houseparent who had also moved to Worcester to take up a position at the school only two months before I did. In February of this year we celebrated twenty years of marriage with our three amazing children…  The chances have continued; some I’ve taken by myself and some we’ve taken together, but without exception they have enriched our lives, often in ways we didn’t realise until afterwards. Of course we never really know whether these pivotal moments in our lives are taking a chance or simply the hand of fate at work, but be brave, and you can have a wonderful time finding out! 

Thank you so much Emma for sharing, what a wonderful job you got at the RNIB, all thanks to a chance. 

Giveaway to Win signed copies of Letting in Light and Turn Towards the Sun (UK Only)

Emma Davies is very kindly giving my followers a chance to win signed copies of Letting in Light and Turn Toward the Sun. 

Giveaway open to UK only, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 17/06/2017. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win a signed copy of Letting in Light (UK Only)

Win a signed copy of Turn Towards the Sun (UK Only)
Author bio 

After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: 'I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.' Well the job in the design studio didn't work out but she's now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.

After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time, and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life.

@EmDaviesAuthor

www.facebook.com/emmadaviesauthor

www.emmadaviesauthor.com

Purchase links:

Turn Towards The Sun:| Letting In Light: | Merry Mistletoe: | Spring Fever: | Gooseberry Fool: | 

Blackberry Way | Author Page on Amazon:

Book Review - Turn Towards The Sun by Emma Davies - #AroundTheUKIn144Books #Shropshire

Amazon UK

Title: Turn Towards the Sun

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: 9th February 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Lizzie wants nothing more than to start over and put the past behind her. So when she is offered the chance to live and work at Rowan Hill, a beautiful country estate and bustling community of artists, it feels like a dream come true.

But soon after her arrival a series of accidents and misunderstandings begins to threaten the happiness and livelihoods of everyone at Rowan Hill. And when suspicion quickly falls on Lizzie, she discovers that the past is not so easily forgotten.

To keep the life she has just begun to build, Lizzie will have to race to uncover the truth before there are disastrous repercussions for everyone involved. In this heartwarming story of friendship, loss and love, the stakes are high but so are the rewards. If Lizzie can find a way to stay true to herself, she might have a chance at something she has always wanted: a place to call home.

Wonderful return to Rowan Hill with a completely different story that is full of drama, friendship and even an OMG moment which had me completely shocked. 

Let me start by saying that Turn Towards the Sun is a standalone novel, and definitely works as one, but its also the sequel to Letting In Light, and although the characters and story progresses from the first, there are a couple of brand new characters introduced, one of which Lizzie, who this book is focused on. 

Lizzie comes from a very different background to everyone else at Rowan Hill, which you can tell just from how her chapters are written. She lacks self confidence, and if anything goes wrong she tends to think she must be to blame, as she believes she isn't as clever as the others,and that due to her background that everyone will blame her regardless. 

Ellie and Will see something in her and are more than happy for her to work at Rowan Hill and learn a bit about everyone's businesses as a general gopher. What pleased me greatly was the amount of times where we really just how much more there is to Lizzie than there first seems. 

It is of course wonderful to see the return of Ellie and Will, Finn and Ben, plus some of the people working in their studios at Rowan Hill. If you haven't read Letting In Light yet, I really don't want to spoil any of the specifics of where their story is heading in this book, but its a great continuation of their story, with some unexpected twists too. 

There is are a couple of chapters with high drama which kept me so gripped to the book that I had absolutely know idea where I was, until my subconscious picked up I was at my stop! 

One of the more major storylines in the book, I did sort of predict, and was happy with waiting for the people in the book to catch up to what I was thinking, up until the moment where I stopped and actually went OMG! at which point potential motivation became apparent and everything fell into place properly. 

Full of writing that transports you beyond the pages and into life at Rowan Hill, Emma Davies' storytelling gets better with each book and she is becoming an author for me that I want to read more from. Turn Towards The Sun had everything I want from a novel, and I loved spending a day with it. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Letting In Light by Emma Davies - Back Catalogue Books

Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for. 

If you are an author wanting to take part in Back Catalogue Books then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you. 

I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it!

Letting in Light was Emma Davies' debut novel and although when I started it, it was during a two day period with a lot of work on, and I had no intention of reviewing, only due to time constraints, I was so impressed that I feel I need to share this lovely book with everyone. 

Amazon UK

Title: Letting In Light

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: 14th June 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Rowan Hill means many things to many people, but to Ellie Hesketh it represents new beginnings. Putting her life back together after a break-up is going to take time, but the crumbling country estate—as much in need of TLC as she is—seems the perfect place to do it.

But Ellie is not the only person for whom Rowan Hill is a refuge. There’s Will, damaged and complicated, whose secrets almost nobody knows. And Finn, his brother, who’s finally decided to stop running from his own past. As Ellie is drawn further into saving the estate, she can’t help but try saving the brothers too—and she’s sure she knows just how to go about it. The trouble is, she’s been accused of meddling before…

By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this story of friendship, forgiveness and unexpected romance reveals the lies we tell to hide dark secrets—and what can happen when we let in a little light.

What a charming story, it starts off with a great prologue that introduces you to both Ellie and Will in unusual circumstances, and then the story starts properly a year later, and by that stage I was already hooked and eager to know more about everyone. 

This may sound weird, but I felt really at peace while I was reading Letting In Light, I was really calm, and just transported to Rowan Hill, with its lovely set of characters who before long felt like old friends, but new at the same time, given the amount of complexity the brothers Will and Finn are hiding. 

To me the sign of a good book is one where on a day where I'm absolutely shattered, and have the option of sleeping or reading on my commute to work, what wins without even thinking was continuing my enjoyment of Letting In Light.  Not only did I stay awake, but I didn't really want to get off the train and stop reading. Not every book makes me feel like that. 

This is Emma Davies' debut novel, and its an incredibly impressive debut. I loved reading about Ellie and all of her ideas for everyone, was intrigued by Will's troubled past, and the setting of Rowan Hill was simply superb. It has huge grounds and the way the story and the area develops is incredibly impressive, and  I am already looking forward to my return to Rowan Hill, in Turn Towards the Sun. 

Letting In Light was a gentle story that draws you in very early on, and doesn't release its grip on you. The passage of time moves forward quite regularly, so it feels as though you are just catching up in the key moments of their lives, and I loved this story of friendship, family and love. 

Book Review - Spring Fever by Emma Davies

Amazon UK

Title: Spring Fever

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lawsome Books

Publication Date: 18th November 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Life is about to get very exciting for Merry and Tom – a new baby, a wonderful new home, and a fresh business venture to get off the ground. Five Penny House is just the place to make their dreams come true, and so what if the locals think the place is cursed? Merry’s not about to let a little thing like that bother her…

For Freya and Sam too, spring heralds the beginning of their new life together at her beloved Appleyard orchard. There are plans to make and a lot of hard work needed if they’re ever to reverse its failing fortunes, but as long as they have each other, what could possibly go wrong? 

Then the rain starts to fall – and keeps on falling – and the new beginning both couples dream of begins to slip from their grasp. For Merry and Tom it now looks like the start of their worst nightmare. But sometimes help can arrive from the most unexpected places…

Action packed second book in the Tales from Appleyard series. For what feels like a reasonable length novella, this has a lot of story in it, and definitely a few moments of heart stopping action. 

It was ages ago when I read book one, and although I sort of remembered it, I was glad I didn't really need to know much to get into Spring Fever, as it feels like all the key relevant bits are mentioned, and the rest well the main focus in on Merry and Tom this time, and they are best friends of Freya and Sam from the orchard. 

Merry and Tom have just moved into a new house, and new business venture, with baby Robyn. They are determined to open a new shop but the locals all think the location is cursed.  As they start to sort out their new properties, they find all manner of things belonging to the old, long forgotten owner, which really inspires Merry.  There are certainly arguments for the Five Penny House to be cursed, especially with the run of luck Merry and Tom appear to be having since they have moved in. 

Freya and Sam are still trying to work on making Appleyard Orchard as good as it can be, they just need to be able to decide just what direction to take it in. 

There are many really good moments in Spring Fever, and the weather plays its part a lot too. Watch out for the excessive rain later on, causing one of the most nerve wracking moments I've read recently.  A really enjoyable novella, in a series that I am liking a lot. I am already looking forward to book 3, and curious to see what that one will be about. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Lawsome for my copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Merry Mistletoe by Emma Davies

Amazon UK

Title:  Merry Mistletoe

Author: Emma Davies

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lawsome Books

Publication Date: 22nd October 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

Sherbourne Mistletoe has been prized and sold at the annual Mistletoe Fair for over a hundred years; but could this year possibly be the last? With her father’s sudden death and debts mounting up it looks as though Freya’s only hope for the future is to sell her beloved family home. And to make matters worse, the only contenders to buy Appleyard Farm, are the people she’d least like to sell it to – the dreaded Henderson brothers who seem always to make life so difficult.

It’s magical stuff though, mistletoe, and the arrival of the mysterious Amos Fry brings a glimmer of hope that just maybe Freya can fall in love with Christmas all over again.

Merry Mistletoe was a sweet story, that really brings home the value of friendship and goodwill at Christmas. 

Freya is dreading losing Appleyard Farm and the Sherbourne orchards, having had it in the family for over a hundred years, but when her dad did, he left a lot of debts, so Freya can't see any way out but to sell. But first she needs to do the last harvest and sell off the produce at the Mistletoe Fair. 

Freya's only offer on the farm come from rival brothers the Hendersons, who she would rather not sell to, but may not have any choice. As the story progresses we discover she has had an interesting history with the brothers, one that I would have liked explained in greater detail than it was. 

Freya has two main allies as this time, Sam, the Henderson who she doesn't hate as much as the other and Amos Fry. Amos Fry appeared randomly in the autumn, and has turned into a really good friend and helper on the farm, when Freya's boyfriend wasn't willing to do anything. 

There is just something about the way Amos is described which makes me wonder if he was human, or some sort of spiritual being. 

There is a countdown to mark each passing of time, and it is a countdown to Mistletoe Day, but having never heard of Mistletoe day, I would have loved an explanation as to what it is. 

Merry Mistletoe is a entertaining novella, that is well written, although more details would have been nice in places, and a great snapshot into a December at a Mistletoe Farm. 

Thanks to Lawsome Books and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest review.