Book Review - Christmas at Butterfly Cove by Sarah Bennett

Amazon UK

Title: Christmas at Butterfly Cove

Author: Sarah Bennett

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 6th October 2017

Rating: 3.5 Stars

All she wants for Christmas…
When talented artist Nee Sutherland returns to Butterfly Cove for her sister’s wedding, it’s only a matter of time before she has to face her own bridegroom – Luke Spenser – the man she impulsively married, then left in the middle of the night.

Nee hasn’t picked up her paintbrushes in months, a part of her is broken. She knows Luke might never forgive her, leaving him was the biggest mistake of her life – but could coming home for Christmas be the best decision she’s ever made?

Maybe all she needs is a little Christmas miracle…

Absolutely loved the finale to the book which brought a good series to a lovely ending. However despite it only being a few months since I read book 2, I struggled with this third Butterfly Cove book. 

I found there were all these recurring characters from the first two books and although I remembered the main characters, its was all the family members and friends and how belong to who, and where and why, and bits of back story that were hinted at, but not enough of a reminder in it to help me out - and this is as someone that should know the relevant back story. 

I believe this is a book that is best read straight after the previous one in order to get that much needed continuity with it. 

That being said it was good to catch up with Mia and Kiki, but I felt that for a book that should have been focusing on getting to know Nee and Luke, that I struggled to connect with them, as there was just so much on all the other characters.  

Kiki's childrens were some of my favourite characters yet again, Matty and Charlie are just adorable and the latest addition to their family is incredibly cute too.  i also loved the new development with Mia and Daniel, but Lee and Nee I still don't feel like I know that well. 

Lovely to be back at Butterfly Cove, but ultimately to me this is the weakest of the three books in this series. There is a good story to it and if my memory for the other books had been stronger then I may have enjoyed it a lot more. Was a quick book to read and it does touch on some deep subjects, especially in Nee's backstory but I would have perhaps like to see more of Nee generally. 

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

Guest Post - Whats in a Name? by Sarah Bennett - Blog Tour

Each writer has their own process for creating a story. Mine always start with a name. I know some people can be chapters into their draft before they settle on a name, but I can’t really get anywhere until I have the names of my principal characters. I love history and ancient myths so I’m often drawn to unusual names which is how the three sisters in Butterfly Cove ended up being named after a set of Greek goddesses – the Horae.

Mia is Eunomia (Order), Kiki is Diké (Justice) and Nee is Eirênê (Peace). Of course the only person who calls them by their full names is their father, but I like the fact that the happy ending for each of them ties into the meaning of their names.

When we first met Mia, things were pretty chaotic and with Daniel’s help she brings her life and her home into order and through that regains her strength and resilience. Mia is definitely the backbone of the family and she needs to see her sisters settled and happy before she can really know true happiness.

Kiki was in desperate need of a change, her life with her ex-husband was cruel and unhappy. As we watch her blossom through the series, she finds confidence, new hope and you will see her finally deliver justice for herself.

And then there’s Nee. It’s so hard to find a balance between life and ambition, I think especially for young women, and she makes a terrible personal sacrifice because she believes she has no choice. Her story was the hardest of the three to write, and I hope you agree that she thoroughly deserves the peace and contentment she finally achieves.

Thank you so much Sarah for explaining your characters names.

All she wants for Christmas…

When talented artist Nee Sutherland returns to Butterfly Cove for her sister’s wedding, it’s only a matter of time before she has to face her own bridegroom – Luke Spenser – the man she impulsively married, then left in the middle of the night.

Nee hasn’t picked up her paintbrushes in months, a part of her is broken. She knows Luke might never forgive her, leaving him was the biggest mistake of her life – but could coming home for Christmas be the best decision she’s ever made?

Maybe all she needs is a little Christmas miracle…

A delightfully feel-good festive romance, perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Rachael Lucas and Hilary Boyd.

Author Bio

Sarah Bennett has been reading for as long as she can remember. Raised in a family of bookworms, her love affair with books of all genres has culminated in the ultimate Happy Ever After – getting to write her own stories to share with others.

Born and raised in a military family, she is happily married to her own Officer (who is sometimes even A Gentleman). Home is wherever he lays his hat, and life has taught them both that the best family is the one you create from friends as well as relatives.

When not reading or writing, Sarah is a devotee of afternoon naps and sailing the high seas, but only on vessels large enough to accommodate a casino and a choice of restaurants.

Sarah is the author of the Butterfly Cove trilogy, published by HQ Digital UK. You can also look forward to a new series coming in 2018, set in the beautiful seaside town of Lavender Bay.

Twitter https://twitter.com/Sarahlou_writes

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SarahBennettAuthor/

Book Links

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XGD1VGX/

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XGD1VGX/

Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06XGD1VGX/

Amazon AU https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B06XGD1VGX/

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/christmas-at-butterfly-cove-a-delightfully-feel-good-festive-romance-butterfly-cove-book-3

iBooks https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/book/christmas-at-butterfly-cove-butterfly-cove-book-3/id1225513344?mt=11

Google Play https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NitHDgAAQBAJ&

Giveaway

1 winnerPrizes: £10 Amazon gift-card, butterfly necklace and butterfly journal
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Book Review - Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove by Sarah Bennett

Amazon UK

Title: Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove

Author: Sarah Bennett

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 26th June 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

A second chance by the sea?
When Kiki Jackson’s marriage falls to pieces, there’s only one place that she knows she can escape to – her sister’s little guesthouse in Butterfly Cove.

But she’s worried that turning up on bride-to-be Mia’s doorstep, especially with her two adorable children in tow, will spoil her sister’s imminent wedding plans!

Luckily, handsome neighbour Aaron Spenser offers to share his new cottage with Kiki until she’s back on her feet. And as the wedding draws closer, Kiki realises that Butterfly Cove may be offering her little family more than just a new home…

Maybe this is where her new life begins…?

Chapter 1 captured my attention, and had me really, really disliking Neil from the outset, while feeling sorry for Kiki. Chapter 2 reminded me quite quickly about the bones of the story from book 1 just by mentioning certain key things, which is always helpful in a series, to feel right at home in the next book as quickly as possible. 

Although the continuation of Mia and Daniel’s story is present in this second book, the book is actually about Kiki, one of Mia’s sisters and Aaron, Daniel’s best friend. Kiki is taking the scariest step in her life and trying to escape a horrific marriage, and Aaron offers her a house to stay in not far from Butterfly Cove and her sister. 

I was only a few chapters in when the thought struck me that this book had far more emotional depth in it than I was perhaps expecting, and it was made all the richer for it. Kiki has had a very tough time and Aaron is just what she needs, even if neither of them can see it for themselves. 
Aaron is a man who takes in not just Kiki but her two children too, does everything he can to be the opposite of Neil, and to make them all feel welcome in his new home. There are some lovely sweet touches from him, some great gestures and Aaron also goes on a journey of self-discovery after a few home truths are pointed out to him. 

This is the second story set in the gorgeous location of Butterfly Cove, and could be read as a standalone. However I am so glad that I have read both books in this series by talented author Sarah Bennett, whose writing seems to be going from strength to strength, and that’s just after two books. 

I was simply unable to put down Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove for even a second, and read it, in one sitting. I lost track of time while reading it, as I was so absorbed, while feeling very pleased I was able to return to such a great cast of characters, in a setting where I felt even more welcome second time around. 

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

Book Review - Sunrise at Butterfly Cove by Sarah Bennett

Amazon UK

Title: Sunrise at Butterfly Cove

Author: Sarah Bennett

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 7th February 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

A year of taking chances…

After a nightmare year, Mia Sutherland is hoping for a fresh start! She’s putting the past behind her and pouring all her savings into renovating a crumbling guesthouse in peaceful Butterfly Cove. Nothing will distract her from achieving her dreams!

That is, until her very first guest, Daniel Fitzwilliam arrives – quite possibly, the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. He’s only here for a week, but already Daniel has turned her world upside-down. And as the tide turns, it’s clear that Butterfly Cove has more than one surprise in store for Mia…

Butterfly Cove is a stunning setting that clearly has restorative qualities, as Mia and Daniel both find themselves thoroughly at home there despite difficulties in their recent past. The cove and area really is as pretty as the cover makes it seem, and I believe in summer the sky and sea will be as vibrant a blue, and the grass will be a very bright green. 

However most of the story in this first book in the Butterfly Cove trilogy takes place in the winter and spring, and it really is a charming story, of friendship between a man and woman, who both really could do without added complications as they grow closer. 

Mia moves to Butterfly Cove to set up a guesthouse, after her husband dies suddenly, she needs a fresh start and has started to renovate her new property in order to open her guest house. She has two sisters one with rather large problems, and her childhood wasn't particularly happy, and we get to see all about those two circumstances as the book progresses. 

Daniel was a famous photographer, who is now burnt out, he jumped on a train away from London and ended up on a local train from Exeter where he meets Madeline, who gives him a lift to Mia's guesthouse despite it not being ready yet. 

They work out a mutually acceptable arrangement and from this moment on Daniel became one of my favourite characters and was bordering on book boyfriend territory. He is wonderful and seems to really understand Mia, and the need for anything that may develop between them to move incredibly slowly. 

It is a sweet story of friendship, and not just Mia and Daniel's but also of family. Not the most conventional families but of family feel of friends, and how they would do anything for one another. Daniel's two best friends are lovely boys and Madeline, with her husband become like surrogate parents for any of the various waifs she seems to be collecting at Butterfly Cove. 

There is a lovely warm and cosy feel to this book, and it does contain a very sweet slow building romance, as well as some wonderful plans for the guest house. It is an enjoyable debut novel, and I am already looking forward to my next trip to Butterfly Cove in the summer. 

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