Book Review - Return To Lily Pond Lane by Emily Havale

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Title: Return to Lily Pond Lane

Author: Emily Harvale

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Crescent Gate Publishing

Publisher: Author supplied copy

Publication Date: 26th February 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Life couldn’t be better for Mia and her friends in Little Pondale – until tragedy strikes... 

Mia Ward is on cloud nine after a magical Christmas and New Year and she isn’t the only one. Everyone on Lily Pond Lane seems to be living in blissful harmony. Until tragedy strikes… not once, but twice. And as Hettie Turner points out: ‘Bad things always come in threes.’ 

Whilst the other residents of Little Pondale are wondering what might happen next, Mia is busy worrying about her friends, and trying to help them with their grief. But she needs to be careful. Just when she thought she had everything, there’s a very real chance she might lose the only thing she truly wants. 

If you enjoy reading Sarah Morgan, Holly Martin, Cathy Bramley, Bella Osborne and Debbie Johnson, this book is for you. 

I am so enjoying my visits to Lily Pond Lane and my first thought on finishing this book was - omg I need more, I don't want to wait for the next one! 

Those dark clouds on the cover are very relevant, there some really bad things that happen in this book early on, and its how everyone recovers from them that is so key to the story.   

I loved seeing how Jet and Mia were getting on, given they were now living together.  And also meeting up with old friends all around Little Pondale.   

This was such a warm and cosy read, full of great moments, and although I would have loved to have read it in one go, I was just too tired, but overnight anytime I was even remotely more alert than asleep, my mind was wondering what was going on in Little  Pondale, and I was chomping at the bit to read the rest of it. 

Even if you haven't read previous books in this series, I do feel it will work well as a standalone. There are relevant snippets or reminders of backstory, in a way that you get the gist even if you don't know fully what was happening.   Although why you would want to miss out on any of the other fab books is beyond me! 

i really loved every second of this book and once again amazed at how talented Emily Harvale is. 

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

Book Review - Relight My Fire by Joanna Bolouri

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Amazon UK

Title: Relight My Fire

Author: Joanna Bolouri

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Quercus

Publication Date: 1st March 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Phoebe and Oliver had their happy ending, but now, with a five year old daughter, they are far from the blissful hedonistic lifestyle of when they first started dating. Not one for giving up, Phoebe creates a sexy wishlist: a jar where they can ask the other for anything they've ever wanted in bed - or out of it. But with distractions aplenty, will they be able to relight the fire in the bedroom?

Set 5 years after The List, it was great to catch up with Phoebe and Oliver again.  I will shamefully admit that I don't after such a break since I read the first book, recall too much about it, but that does mean that I can assure anyone that this can easily be read as a standalone. 

There were a few reminders from The List, but on the whole this was a whole new story, about a married couple needing to reinvigorate their sex life. They have 4 year old Mollie now, and she is adorable, which would put a dampener on most people's passion, and so they come up with ways to try to spice up their lives. 

Easily my favourite parts of this book was the introduction of the sex jar and how it was used, and the scenarios being played out, were  a lot of fun, and incredibly sexy too. 

I really enjoyed Phoebe's best friend Lucy, she was such a breath of fresh air running through the book, some of the funniest lines seemed to come from her. 

The story takes place over a year, and is told in what appeared to be diary entries, some longer and some shorter.  I really enjoyed all of Pam's suggestions for Phoebe and Oliver and it really wasn't all plain sailing.  

This was the perfect length of book for me to read on a journey to and from Stoke, and it passed the journey incredibly well.  I almost missed at least one stop, and generally didn't notice the world passing me by. Was incredibly enjoyable and the ending left me with a massive grin on my face (to the extent I think I had a few weird looks). 

Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The House We Called Home by Jenny Oliver

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Title: The House We Called Home

Author: Jenny Oliver

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ 

Publication Date: 28th June 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

The house where Stella and her sister Amy grew up never changes – the red front door, the breath-taking view over the Cornish coast, her parents in their usual spots on the sofa. Except this summer, things feel a little different…

Stella’s father is nowhere to be seen, yet her mother – in suspiciously new Per Una jeans – seems curiously unfazed by his absence, and more eager to talk about her mysterious dog-walking buddy Mitch.

Stella’s sister Amy has returned home with a new boyfriend she can barely stand and a secret to hide, and Stella’s husband Jack has something he wants to get off his chest too. Even Frank Sinatra, the dog, has a guilty air about him.
This summer, change is in the air for the Whitethorns…

A man walks out, he goes missing and yet none of his family seem that bothered, he left a note so it was definitely voluntary.  His wife doesn't seem to bothered, his children are a bit more worried, but even so there is a lack of urgency about finding him, even though no one has heard from him at all. 

This is the story of the Whitethorn's family who I feel are a lot better for Graham walking away than they had been before. 

As the book progresses we see all sorts of secrets come out,  huge amounts of character development, especially for Stella and Amy,  We also discover just what sort of a man Graham is, as well as discovering every last thing about this family. 

They are complex, they are real, you probably know people like some of them.  It is a very good story about how a family reacts when something unexpected happens. 

When I was able to read for a while uninterrupted I was utterly gripped, and was eager to see what happened, but yet the book wasn't calling me back to it when I wasn't reading.  Which is a shame, but could just be me, as I can't really fault anything about the story itself. 

A really enjoyable story and I feel awful that I left it languishing on my kindle unread for as long as I did, given how much I tend to enjoy this author. 

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

Book Review - The Mill on Magnolia Lane by Tilly Tennant - Blog Tour

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Title: The Mill on Magnolia Lane

Author: Tilly Tennant

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 4th April 2019

Rating: 4 Stars

The sky is cornflower blue, the air is scented with the smell of fresh apple blossom and Lizzie Lovell can’t wait to start her new life in the mill on Magnolia Lane. But is she just about to fall in love with someone she shouldn’t? 

When Lizzie loses her larger-than-life dad she doesn’t know how to move forward. Encouraged by a childhood dream she shared with her beloved father, she is determined to continue his legacy and moves to the old Mill on Magnolia lane, a place he had always longed to own.

Restoring the old windmill is a much bigger job than Lizzie bargained for, especially when she is distracted by her new next door neighbour Jude, who has temptingly twinkly eyes and a body to die for. But when Jude’s ex- girlfriend Harriet arrives back on the scene, Lizzie begins to wonder if life wasn’t far simpler before she moved to the mill. Especially when it emerges that Harriet knows something about Jude’s past, something that could shatter her new start and her heart into smithereens …

If your heart is warmed by Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Josie Silver’s One Day in December, you’ll fall in love with this beautiful feel-good story about finding love when you least expect it. 

I really hope this is the start of a new series, as by the end of this book, I just didn't want it to end.   I loved the Mill and its rennovation work, and the way that Lizzie develops over the book is great. 

This is a story that takes place over at least a year if not longer, the exact time frames were hard to judge, as you'd start a new chapter and suddenly there was a fast forward of time - you never felt you missed anything but I just lost track when in the year we even were. 

Over the course of the book, we get to meet all the Lovell family, who all think Lizzie is mad to gamble on buying a disused mill, and try to get it up and running again.   To say there was some venting about builders would be an understatement. I'm so glad I wasn't living in Lizzie's caravan while they tried to make the building habitable. 

There is great character development all around, and I loved seeing how Lizzie, Gracie, Florentina and Gwendolyn all adapted to new circumstances each time something happens.  And let me just say there are a lot of eventful happenings in this story.  It really does keep you on your toes.

Charlie has got under my skin far more than I thought, given I keep thinking he is the brother in the next book I'm reading, and I'm missing his wonderful enthusiasm for everything. 

But its also a comforting sort of a book, its a very pleasant to read story, that filled me with warmth, and definitely had Tilly Tennant's trademark writing style and feel to it.   It's a very good book, and I'm hoping this isn't the last we have seen of Magnolia Lane and the Lovells. 

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

Please do follow along with all these great bloggers on this tour. 

Book Review - When I Find You by Emma Curtis

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Amazon UK

Title: When I find You

Author: Emma Curtis

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Transworld Digital

Publication Date: 1st July 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

What do you do when someone takes advantage of your greatest weakness?

When Laura wakes up after her office Christmas party and sees a man’s shirt on the floor, she is horrified. But this is no ordinary one-night-stand regret.

Laura suffers from severe face-blindness, a condition that means she is completely unable to identify and remember faces. So the man she spent all night dancing with and kissing – the man she thought she’d brought home – was ‘Pink Shirt’.

But the shirt on her floor is blue.

And now Laura must go to work every day, and face the man who took advantage of her condition. The man she has no way of recognising.

She doesn’t know who he is . . . but when she finds him she’ll make him pay.

Utterly fascinating, believe it or not for a psychological thriller, I feel as though I have come out of this book a lot smarter than when I went into it. 

Or at least I have a far better understanding of face blindness - and what a severe sufferer of it would be going through, such as Laura our main character. 

Laura can't recognise faces at all, she can't typically even recognise her own mother, let alone whether the man she had been dancing with at a Christmas party, is the same one she goes home with.  She uses other distinguishing features about a person - and is absolutely horrified when her pink shirted dance partner turns into a blue shirted man she had sex with. 

Now this is where it gets tricky, as it was consensual, she just didn't realise at the time due to the condition that it wasn't the man she thought she was consenting too - which is absolutely terrifying. 

What Laura is sure of is that she won't let whoever it is get away with it - so long as she can work out just who she was in bed with. 

So we have Laura's story and running alongside it, Rebecca's.  Rebecca is Laura's boss and doesn't seem like the nicest of women. Her story isn't as compelling but still interesting to read, especially as you get to see some things from multiple perspectives. 

Whenever I wasn't reading this, it was playing on my mind. which is the sign of a good book, and the last I'm not sure how much it was, but I couldn't put it down. I was completely engrossed and hooked on just how everything would resolve itself. 

This is the second book I've now read from Emma Curtis and I'm already eager to see what her next will be. Clearly my love of her first wasn't a fluke and she is now definitely an author I want to keep reading. 

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

How on earth has it been 4 years already? - #Giveaway

4 years ago today, Rachel's Random Reads was born. 

This was meant to be a blog, an experiment for a month or two, or until someone gave me crippling bad feedback at which point I was intending to run away from blogging. 

However it soon become apparent that the blogging community is on the whole, one of the friendliest I've ever been apart of, I feel like I'm part of a big book loving family and no longer the weirdo in the corner preferring to read over real life. 

Although funnily enough since I started the blog, I've potentially had the most active social life of my adulthood - admittedly living in London does help, but 'I'm amazed at the amount of book launches, blogger / author meet ups and panel discussions I've been able to attend. 

Only at the weekend I was up in Birmingham at a Team Sue Moorcroft lunch, which featured not only the wonderful Sue Moorcroft, but fellow blogger Anne Williams, Kim Nash, who many of you may know as the supplier of fabulous books for Bookouture, but in fact has her wonderful debut novel Amazing Grace out on Wednesday,  authors Maggie Sullivan, Mark West and Mick Arnold too.   Many of those I count amongst my close friends, so was a wonderful afternoon. 

I've been incredibly lucky over the past four years, to be able to review some absolutely amazing books, and despite my fledgling blog tour organising business, Rachel's Random Resources going from strength to strength, and my having a lot less time to read or review, I have every intention of continuing with the blog. 

I am far too addicted to Netgalley and to having my own small space on the internet to ever want to give this up.. so sorry but you are all stuck with me! 

I would though like to give thanks to whoever it was that nominated me towards the end of last year for the RNA Media Star award,  I truly am honoured to have been nominated, and can only offer congratulations to The Writing Garnet,  whose reviews I really trust.   I've also been nominated in this years Blogger Bash awards - which is open to a public vote, and I hope to have a bit of info about that incredibly soon. 

Lastly I would like to thank all the publicists, publishers, blog tour organisers, for all of the books that I have been trusted with to give an opinion on, and had many hours of pleasure reading, to all the book bloggers for your support,  and lastly and most importantly to anyone who has ever read any of my blog posts, or interacted with me,  I appreciate it far more than I can ever say. 

Hopefully with all the best will in the world I will be back here same time next celebrating a 5th year!! 

In the meantime...I feel a giveaway coming on, as I seem to include one every year on these posts.... so let's see what is lurking on my giveaway bookshelf for you all today... 

Giveaway - Win a book at random from my book lucky dip (8 winners) (Open to Europe Only). 

Since I do like to be random, it's a new random book lucky dip, I have a feeling it may have been this time last year since I last did this!  Please note I'm not revealing the books, its pure chance, there are no signed books, or first editions (I had winners pull out last year, when they realised they couldn't pick their book, or sort of book). 

*Terms and Conditions – I’m delighted to offer 8 winners a book picked at random from my lucky dip bag of books, thanks to my assistant. European Entries only.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only.  I am not responsible for delivery of the prize.

Win a book at random from my book lucky dip (8 winners) (Open to Europe Only).

Book Review - The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: The Proposal

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline Eternal

Publication Date: 30th October 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game in LA with her actor boyfriend, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn't difficult - they've only been dating for five months, and he can't even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans...

At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik's rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He's even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik's social media goes crazy. Believing that neither of them are looking for anything serious, Nik embarks on an epic rebound with the handsome doctor, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, will they be brave enough to admit what they're really feeling?

Any book that starts with a proposal on a jumbotron at a baseball game,  that is turned down that leads to the meeting of a news gorgeous guy,  is a good book for me. 

Nik is not a fan of "I love yous" or commitment,  but she is a very loyal friend,  feisty heroine and all around fabulous main character. 

Alongside her two best friends there is plenty of fun,  cupcakes and with the new man good food and drama too. 

I loved the chemistry between Nik and Carlos and generally enjoyed the whole book a lot. 

It may be the first book I've read from the author but I'm positive it won't be the last. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Eternal for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,. 

Book Review - One Summer In Paris by Sarah Morgan

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Amazon UK

Title:  One Summer In Paris

Author: Sarah Morgan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 4th April 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

One charming Left Bank bookshop, two unlikely friends, and a summer in Paris that will change their lives forever…

Grace can’t believe it when her husband of twenty-five years announces he doesn’t want to join her on their anniversary trip to Paris – instead, he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock, Grace makes the bold decision to go on this holiday of a lifetime alone.

Audrey leaves behind heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no money, and no knowledge of the French language, her summer adventure seems doomed to fail. Until she meets Grace, and everything changes…

Living in neighbouring apartments above the bookshop, Grace and Audrey form an unlikely friendship. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding each other might be the best thing that's ever happened to them.

If only I had known how addictive and how much I was going to be pulled into this story, I would have waited to read it for when I could give it my undivided attention.  Well I was intending to read it on holiday, but my finger slipped and once I have a Sarah Morgan open on my kindle, I'm not closing it again until I have read it! 

From very early on, there were many moments that had me giving mini gasps and had me reaching for the next chapter, eager to know what would happen next.  Whenever I wasn't reading One Summer in Paris, I was yearning to find the time to be able to delve back between its pages. 

There are initially what appear to be two very different stories going on, although it soon becomes apparent that they could connect - and the way the two main characters finally meet is definitely memorable and unexpected. 

We have Grace who is in her mid forties, and decides she will go to Paris on her own, after her husband of 25 years announces he has been having an affair.   And we have 18 year old Audrey who is hoping to escape her tricky family situation and spend the summer in Paris. 

It was Audrey's story that resonated more with me, she is incredibly brave to move to a foreign country for a summer, with barely any money, no ability to speak French, and she's got a job in a bookshop, which for reasons of her own is a far from ideal thought.

I really loved seeing how these two ladies grew over their Summer in Paris, and struck up a truly lovely friendship that I really enjoyed seeing how it evolved. 

The book splits its viewpoints between both Audrey and Grace and occasionally we get a chapter focusing on Mimi, Grace's grandma who is French and hasn't been to Paris herself for many years.   I was smiling like a looney when certain things fell into place regarding Mimi. 

I loved the descriptions of Paris, and this wasn't really the main touristy things, but more off the beaten track, and really about having this wonderful French city as a backdrop to the interesting dynamics between Grace and Audrey, and everyone else they come into contact with. 

It's a truly wonderful book, that kept me on my toes, kept me yearning to read more when i needed to do work, and is another marvellous addition to my wow doesn't Sarah Morgan write amazing books list!! 

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

Book Review - Love in the City by the Sea by Lilac Mills - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

.Title: Love in the City by the Sea

Author: Lilac Mills

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 3rd September 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Tess Barton is stuck in a rut. She’s working three jobs while trying to get her career as an artist off the ground... and now her sister wants her to run a marathon too?! No thank you!

But it’s not just any marathon. It’s the Barcelona marathon and they’d be running in memory of their late sister. She's ready for her flight but when disaster strikes and Emma can’t make it, Tess finds herself facing a new city and challenge all alone. That is, until an unexpected rendezvous in a little tapas bar with gorgeous Spaniard Roberto.

Facing the unknown Tess laces up her trainers, determined to master the marathon... and maybe find love in the city by the sea at the same time.

Tess is your least likely marathon running candidate. Until she promises her sister to help her train, and ends up entered in the Barcelona marathon herself. 

Tess is a massive fan of Gaudi and has always wanted to visit Barcelona, so she agrees on the proviso she will be able to fit in some sightseeing. 

What she doesn't expect is her heart to be stolen both by the city and a man. 

For her first acquaintance in the city will be her most important and he acts as a tour guide over the next few pages. 

I loved Roberto's knowledge of all the main tourist spots in the city  by the sea, as well as some of those off the beaten track. 

With a mix of culture, sport, running and food, this is the perfect way to view the city, without leaving your armchair!

From the first few pages I was captivated by the story.  Delighted to see this new book by Lilac Mills and I am eager to see her next release already. 

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

Book Review - Knowing You by Samantha Tonge

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Amazon UK

Title: Knowing You

Author: Samantha Tonge

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 14th March 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

An abrupt change; a new friendship; a dark secret...

 Kind-hearted Violet has never fitted in, but despite being bullied at school is now content. She is dating ambitious Lenny, has her dream job in publishing and runs a book club at the local retirement home.

However, when her relationship with Lenny begins to falter, Violet, hurt and alone, seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella. She changes her image and with her head held high aims to show that she doesn’t need Lenny in her life to be happy and successful.

Her long-term friends Kath and Farah worry about Bella’s influence and slowly Violet starts to distance herself from them. When she was a child, her closest confidant and companion was a boy called Flint. Her mother didn’t approve of their closeness and he suffered a terrible end. She won’t let the same thing happen to Bella, no matter what anyone says...

To me this is a book of two halves - the first half gives us a feel for what Violet is normally like, how her break up for Lenny is affecting her, and about her job in publishing. We get to meet her friends and there is a lot of talk about books which I l always like.   

Then the second half well from about 60% onwards I knew I couldn't put the book down, had no idea what was going on around me, as I was so utterly absorbed as everything seemed to move up a notch,  and some of the things I was wondering about became slightly more confirmed, but at the same time shocking me. 

Depending on your circumstances there are themes in this book that could be upsetting, but at the same time most likely will ring true for anyone going through the same things.  I am not going to mention that big themes of the book though as I have no intention of spoiling anything for anyone. 

In fact this is a hard book to review given to me all the best bits, the most impressive sections and the bits I'd love to shout about are all in the second half of the book, and work best if you have read it all,  so rest assured its absolutely fantastic, and had me completely and utterly gripped. 

The best comparison I have is to liken this to Amanda Prowse - in terms of really getting to grips with a tricky issue, writing about it in an accessible and sensitive way, making you really feel something for the characters involved,  If this is the direction that Samantha Tonge is moving in, and it certainly seems that way after the last two books, then I can only look forward to seeing what she tackles next, as this was really impressive. 

I loved the Violet worked in publishing, anything that gives me an insight as to how books are made / acquired etc.. always fascinates me, and I loved her friends at the retirement home book club that she runs have decided to set up a blog. 

All the lighter moments of the book were equally well described and I really felt as though I was getting to know Violet, her new flatmate Bella and all of her friends and colleagues really well. 

There were times where I really disliked Violet, she is someone who seems as though she is too easily led by others and seems to struggle to know her own mind.  At times I wanted to, knock some sense into her,, and at others just give her a hug as she seemed so inexperienced too. 

Interspersed with the present day story we get flashbacks of what life was like for Violet in 2001, when she was only 7. They added a lot of the book, and gave an idea of where some of Vi's personality traits evidently stemmed from. 

If like me you love reading women's fiction, but also quite like reading darker books too - then this new dark women's fiction genre  - and Knowing You in particular could be just what you are looking for.   I certainly glad that I read it. 

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