Book Review - The Best Is Yet To Come by Jessica Redland

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Title: The Best Is Yet To Come

Author: Jessica Redland

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 3rd September 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Emma is having a fresh start.

After a successful teaching career, an exciting new chapter awaits Emma – helping her fiancé Grayson run one of Beatrix Potter's farms. While imagining days spent supporting Grayson with his dream, working the land and helping with the animals, Emma harvests a dream of her own – to set up an alpaca-walking business around the farm.

But working together isn’t as easy as Emma expected. Soon her dreams are in tatters and, broken-hearted, she must start over yet again.

When Oliver, Rosie and the team at Willowdale Hall welcome Emma with open arms, she can't believe her luck. But starting a new business in a new place is a daunting prospect, especially when it comes with unexpected obstacles. With a reserved, prickly groundskeeper as a partner, rapidly changing family dynamics to contend with, and time running out to get her new career off the ground, Emma may have bitten off more than she can chew.

But even though things are not going to plan just yet, the best is yet to come for Emma, if she can just take a leap of faith and follow her heart...

Escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland, for an uplifting story of family, friendship and love.

If like me you read the cliffhanger at the end of the previous book, and then jumped straight into this, you will be glad to know the resolution to that is given within the prologue. 

What then threw me for a bit was we are then introduced to Emma and it takes a while to understand how the two books connect, and they do in a really heartwarming way. 

Because I don't want to give any spoilers for either book, as I've read them so close together, it's hard for me to remember they are actually separate (and possibly the reason I don't often binge series to this extent), it's going to be very hard for me to say too much. 

But Emma is a fabulous new character, and her new dream, after it is clear to her, what as a reader I realised very quickly that Grayson is s nightmare, is all to do with Alpacas and being able to set up an Alpaca walking business. 

Along with new friends, rejuvenated family relationships and some daring rescues, we get to meet the Magnificent 7 as Emma's new herd is called. It is amazing how much research has clearly gone into this book, as I felt as though I had a beginners guide to caring for Alpacas, and we also learn the difference between them and llamas!   And I think I'm inclined to agree with Emma that Alpacas are best. 

In fact I'd like my own herd of them now, but since I'm less a fan of walking and the outdoors, I won't even remotely look into that!  But I really would love to meet some real alpaca! 

I enjoyed hearing Emma's backstory, as well as seeing plenty of familiar faces from the previous books of the series. 

This feels like it is a series about families as much as it is about animals so far, and I'm loving how Willowdale seems central to everything. I look forward to seeing how that expands and develops as this series continues. 

Now three books in I can easily say this is a new auto read, must stay on top of series, I am loving each book more and more, and I think a piece of my heart is already in the Lake District.  Bring on the next one! 

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

Book Review - A Recipe For Christmas by Jo Thomas - Blog Tour

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Title: A Recipe For Christmas

Author: Jo Thomas

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Transworld Digital

Publication Date: 10th October 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Let the queen of feel-good Christmas fiction whisk you off to the snowy mountains this festive season...

Take one woman longing for the perfect Christmas . . .

All Clara has ever wanted is Christmas surrounded by loved ones, full of warmth and delicious food. So when her new boyfriend asks her to move to Switzerland, she can't help but say yes! After all, what could be more perfect than Christmas in the Alps?

Add a dash of surprise

She quickly signs up for a tempting chocolate-making class, but it turns out to be chocolate-making bootcamp! And her boyfriend isn't all he seemed either . . .

And enjoy a magical festive treat!

Despite it all, Clara begins to make friends - including the aloof yet intriguing Gabriel. With all of the ingredients at her fingertips, will she finally be able to whisk up her Christmas dream?

Perfection from Jo Thomas! 

Word of warning though - it will make you crave chocolate pretty much for the whole book, so make sure you have a stash to snack on. 

This is utterly brilliant for Chocolate lovers, warm and cosy fiction lovers, those wanting to travel to Switzerland this winter and of course for fans of the author. 

All of her trademark destination writing and food writing combined into a mouth watering variety of book. I couldn't have loved it more if I tried, or devoured it faster! 

Any story that starts with someone trying to work out how many Lindt balls they can fit in their mouth at once, is always going to capture my attention, especially when you then discover Clara has done something very out of character and agreed to move to Switzerland with her new boyfriend which she barely knows and enrol in what she believed to be a beginners chocolate making course. 

Turns out it was slightly more advanced, and I absolutely loved her attempting to go along with it anyway. I enjoyed seeing how Clara was able to develop as a chocolatier as well as slowly make new friends in her new life.  Although nothing is plain sailing which just adds to the enjoyment of the story. 

This really spoke to my inner chocolate lover and was fascinated by the techniques that were mentioned, and just how you temper and create chocolate. I also really wish i had been able to go along on the author's research trips for this book as I can imagine they must have been a lot of fun! 

A really Christmas chocolate lover's paradise of a book.  Just brilliant and not too festive either, so easily able to be read out of season, but definitely a fabulous winter warmer of a book. 

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

Please do take a look at the rest of the blogs on this fabulous blog tour. 

Book Review - Christmas at the Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: Christmas at the Board Game Cafe

Author: Jennifer Page

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: 10th October 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Kate seems to have it all – wonderful friends, a successful career, and an idyllic life in the quirky Yorkshire town of Essendale. But under the surface, Kate is lonely and yearns for family – especially at Christmas.

With the holidays approaching and the town desperate to attract more visitors, Kate plans an enchanting living Advent calendar to feature the local businesses. But Kate's picture-perfect plans take an unexpected turn when her ex-boyfriend returns, determined to create the pivotal Christmas Eve display.

Caught between a new spark and an old flame, Kate must pull off her festive campaign and protect her heart. Will she let go of the past and embrace the future she dreams of?

Christmas and board games go together so well, that I was incredibly eager to start reading this book. 

Add in a Living advent calendar for Essendale and Hebden and you really do have the most amazing book. 

I couldn't read this fast enough, and I was astounded at the author's creativity and imagination at bringing 24 different but all equally brilliant windows to life. 

And to keep the finale not only a secret from Kate who had organised the whole thing, but also from the readers, until it was Christmas Eve was inspired to keep me reading. 

And it really was the most wonderful final window, and not anything I would have ever thought of.  But it just worked. 

Before that though you have Kate  trying to juggle a busy love life, with being perfect at everything she does and we even  get to discover just why she is the way she is. 

Add in Em, Jo and Taylor our previous leading ladies and their gorgeous men, as well as an assortment of board games, new love interests, a brief return of the series villain and memorable window from Mr B, and it truly is a joyful and fun filled book that I totally adored. 

I love this series so much and this was perhaps my new favourite book from it. Utterly fabulous and incredibly festive. 

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

Book Review - A Breath of Fresh Air by Jessica Redland

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Title: A Breath of Fresh Air

Author: Jessica Redland

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood

Publication Date: 10th January 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Rosie feels like there's something missing in her life.

She loves her job as the manager of Willowdale Hall Riding Stables, caring for the horses and teaching children to ride, and she loves the home she shares with her mother in the beautiful Lake District. But she can't help wondering how her life might look if things had been different. What if her father had been around to help care for her mother? And what if she'd found someone special herself?

When Hubert Cranleigh - the owner of Willowdale Hall - is taken ill, his son Oliver steps into the breach. Brooding and distant, Rosie is furious when he claims not to know who she is. Especially when they have a history.

Rosie's life is about to be turned upside down, but with the New Year comes new opportunities. What Rosie feels is missing from her life might be closer than she thinks, and with more significant consequences than she could ever have imagined...

Take a breath of fresh air and escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland, for an uplifting story of family, friendship and love.

Warning - this book ends on an epic cliff hanger. The good news it that the next book is already out, so the second you know you are enjoying this book and series enough to suspect you will want to read the next one, buy it so you can move on seamlessly. 

I mean the second I finish writing this review I will be starting the next book.. I need answers, and thankfully I had been made aware in advance that there was a cliff hanger ending, and thus I had put off reading this book until I had the next one available too - otherwise I would raging right now!!

And omg what a great book this is, I absolutely loved every single word of it and at times I was a bit choked up with emotion too. 

It is what Jessica Redland does best, writes a story with a huge heart, some wonderful animals, brilliant backstories and some incredibly loveable main characters. 

Getting to know Rosie and Alice better, having first met them in the previous book was a joy.  I had nothing but sympathy for Alice, and I really hoped things would improve for her. 

And Rosie, what can I say about Rosie, she has an epic storyline, plus an old flame / enemy comes back into her life and there are parental secrets all over this book. 

It's just simply brilliant, I don't want to risk spoiling anything, but I will say the Lake District setting is as gorgeous as ever, and I felt more at home there in this second book. And the horses in the stables, I loved hearing all about them.  I do love a focus on animals in stories something that this author does so well. 

Then there is Ollie, I was unsure how to feel about him initially but as the story progressed I grew to love him a lot, and really despise his father.  But the more I knew about him the I was rooting for him. 

This was just an all around brilliant book and I'm totally convinced now after two books that this is a series that will be totally brilliant.  Now must run I need to find out what happens next! 

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

Book Review - My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: My Favourite Mistake

Author: Marian Keyes

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Publication Date: 11th April 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Anna has just lost her taste for the Big Apple…

She has a life to envy. An apartment in New York. A well-meaning (too well-meaning?) partner. And a high-flying job in beauty PR. Who wouldn’t want all that?

Anna, it turns out.

Trading a minor midlife crisis for a major life event, she switches the skyscrapers of Manhattan for the tiny Irish town of Maumtully (population 1,217), helping old friends Brigit and Colm set up a luxury coastal retreat.

Tougher than it sounds. Newflash: the locals hate the idea. So much so, there have been threats – and violence.

Anna, however, worked in the beauty industry. There’s no ugliness she hasn’t seen. No wrinkle she can’t smooth over.

There’s just one fly in the ointment – old flame Joey Armstrong.

He’s going to be her wingman.

Never mind their chequered history. Never mind what might have been.

Because no matter how far you go, your mistakes will still be waiting for you . . .

It's been quite a while since I last read a Marian Keyes novel, and possibly even longer since I last caught up with my favourite Irish family the Walshes. 

So I was utterly delighted to be able to delve back into the Walsh Family, and seeing just what Anna is up to now. 

Of course we get to see the latest in the lives of all of the sisters, which is a pleasure for all fans of the series. 

And once Anna is back in Ireland, well it all started to feel rather like coming home for this reader too. 

I loved Anna's new work situation, and getting to see flashbacks to all of her encounters with a certain Joe over the years, as well as her best friend Jacki was really great to see. 

This was a highly enjoyable instalment in the lives of the Walsh family, with them all being much older and wiser than before. It's a joy to see these characters mature but still keep all of their traditional character traits.

Put simply I love this book. 

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

Book Review - A Secret Cornish Wish by Ali McNamara - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: A Secret Cornish Wish

Author: Ali McNamara

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 4th July 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

The brand-new escapist summer romance from bestselling author Ali McNamara. Return to the Cornish shores of St Felix and fall in love . . .

What if one summer could change your life?

For Frankie and her five best friends growing up on the glorious beaches of Cornwall's St Felix, life couldn't get any better. Late one night, the friends discover an old box washed up on the shores and they learn the tale of the St Felix mermaid who grants wishes to those who find her treasure. Even though they know it's just Cornish folkore, the friends decide to make a wish for what they each want out of life - most importantly, they want to always be together . . .

Over the course of the next few decades, as weddings, funerals, birthdays and more bring the friends back together, lost loves, broken promises and buried secrets just as quickly tear them apart. But when they reunite one last time in St Felix, will it be for good? And will their wishes finally be revealed?

Given I just autobuy and know I want to read anything with Ali McNamara's name on it, I hadn't realised until I opened this one that we ere back in the rather magical setting of St. Felix. 

And as a long time fan of these St Felix books I knew instantly that there would be some inexplicable occurrences. 

What I didn't realise until I read this was that mermaids are 100% real and that I'm a complete believer in them and their wish giving properties. 

We join Frankie and her group of misfit mermaids at key points over their lives from being teens, all the way through until they turn 50 

All told from Frankie's view point we get to know all the stories of her friendship group, And I loved getting to know all of her friends,  

And discovering whether their wishes really will come true or not.  

There is excellent character development and the magic of the setting is weaved in perfectly 

And I loved references to some of Ali's other characters, always good to see they haven't been forgotten. 

An absolute joy to read from start to finish, this may have you crying, it will certainly have you smiling and it might even turn you into a believer. 

Thank you Sphere and Netgalley for this book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Suspect by Rob Rinder

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Title: The Suspect

Author: Rob Rinder

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 20th June 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

When the UK's favourite breakfast TV presenter dies live on air in front of millions of viewers, the nation is left devastated.

More devastated still when it becomes clear that her death was not an accident.

The evidence points to one culprit: celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks. But junior barrister Adam Green is about to discover that the case is not as open-and-shut as it first seemed.

And although her angelic persona would suggest otherwise, she was not short of enemies in the glittery TV world . . .

Can Adam uncover the truth?

Having really enjoyed Rob Rinder's debut novel, I was curious to see how he would follow it up. 

So jumped into the pages of The Suspect and was happy to see it was set at the same law firm and that Adam was our leading character again. 

And he gets called up to help with big case in the media,  while also being involved in one that included a moral dilemma,  which actually raises some important questions. 

I enjoyed seeing how Adam was now coping with life now he was past his pupillage.

And the phone calls from his mother are hilarious. 

This was an easy to read and highly enjoyable story.  I'm loving the recurring characters and highly curious what this author will write next.  

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

Book Review - Second Chance Romance by Carol Mason

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Title: Second Chance Romance

Author: Carol Mason

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 22nd July 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

Hate at first sight. Love at long last?

Moira is forty-two, newly single thanks to her cheating husband, and totally, one hundred per cent, over men. Frank is forty-five, irritatingly good-looking, and the author of the world’s greatest love story. If only his charm on the page translated to real life… Unfortunately, their barely adult children are convinced they’re in love. And they’re eloping. To Greece. Without their parents.

Moira married young and lived to regret it. She’s desperate for her daughter not to make the same mistake. And the last thing Frank wants is to spend future Thanksgivings stuck together. So they make a pact: to find their kids, before it’s too late.

But as their Mamma-Mia-in-reverse journey leads to sandy beaches, picture-perfect cobbled streets, bickering by candlelight, and into their hotel’s hot tub… Moira is unable to ignore the prickle of heat under Frank’s gaze. Nor the sparks that fly as they really talk for the first time.

Will they end up going their separate ways as planned? Or has this unexpected trip given them the second chance at love they didn’t know they needed?

I will happily admit that it was the gorgeous brightly coloured covered that captured my initial attention but after glancing at the blurb it confirmed that I definitely had to give this book a go... 

.. and the author too as I've not read anything by them before.  And I'm glad I gave this a shot as it was highly enjoyable. 

I loved the dynamics between Moira and Frank, and their plotting to split up their children's relationship, and their text message exchanges are great fun. 

And the following their kids half way around the world from LA to Greece is brilliant, and the story between them really gets going once they are on Greek soil. 

The scenes in Athens around the Plaka reminded me of my short time of Athens and everything that was described in Santorini off season, reminded me of the start of season in Zante the summer I worked there - complete with the cold and weather! 

Oh to be Harriet and Aiden, young and in love, they really made me envious, of things that I never had, and I'm more Moira's age but without any of her experiences. 

Moira spends the book torn in what to do about her husband back in England, she is convinced he is cheating, but instead of talking it through rationally, she basically spends 3 months ignoring of all his messages - ok that sounds like something I would do! 

This was just a highly enjoyable escapist novel that made my cold fade away into the background, and I was totally focused on my enjoyment of the words of this story.  Definitely a great introduction for me to this author, and I'll be curious to see what she writes next. 

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

Book Review - The Surprise Party by Julia Crouch

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Title: The Surprise Party

Author: Julia Crouch

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 28th June 2024

Rating: 3 Stars

The party is a surprise… but what happens afterwards will destroy everything.

To celebrate my special birthday, my husband and I have returned to the beautiful Greek island village where we spent our honeymoon. If two weeks in this paradise don’t fix our marriage, nothing will.

But then the next day a second boat arrives, full of my friends and family. My grown-up children jump on to the shore, grinning and holding balloons. My husband beams at me and says, “Surprise!”

I should be overjoyed, but there was a reason I wanted it to be just the two of us. Now I won’t have the chance to confess what I’ve been hiding for years…

As my husband hands out champagne, I watch my children glare at him. I stare out at the sparkling sea and try not to mind my best friend flirting with him. I’m terrified at the fractures in my family, which I’m about to rip open.

But even after my party ended in disaster, I didn’t expect anyone to die…

A completely gripping psychological thriller about the darkness at the heart of a family and how far a mother will go to protect her children that will keep you glued to the pages as you discover twist after twist. Fans of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and Lucy Clarke will love The Surprise Party.

This was certainly a gripping story, and it was set in a fabulous location. 

However I really found myself not being a fan of most of the characters. They were all quite hard to like and Eve is an utter doormat and seems to be able to manipulated by everyone in her life. 

There are all sorts of secrets to uncover, but nothing that overtly shocked me or had me gasping.  I was keen to know what was happening but ultimately it didn't quite grab me in they way I hoped it would. 

I was able to read it quickly, as I wasn't feeling great and this certainly took my mind of my cold, but at least some of the key reveals I guessed fairly early, and with my disconnect from most of the characters, it just didn't work for me. 

It's not a bad book by any stretch, but I think it may have just been the wrong book for me at the wrong time. 

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

Book Review - The Tanglewood Bookshop by Lilac Mills - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Title: The Tanglewood Bookshop

Author: Lilac Mills

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 12th September 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

A rural book shop. A chance to start over. But can she make her dream a reality?

Kazz used to love the excitement of her London life, but lately her passion for expensive city living has begun to wane. So when she's given the opportunity to open a bookshop in picturesque Tanglewood, she jumps at the chance.

But village life is much quieter than she anticipated – is she actually suited for rural living? Resigned to a boring and uneventful Christmas, when she meets gorgeous Saul she is more than ready to have some fun and enjoy the festivities. If only Saul didn't have a reputation for being a player...

Will Kazz become the heroine in her own Christmas romance, or will he love her and leave her under the mistletoe?

This gorgeous festive romance is perfect for fans of Kiley Dunbar, Rachel Lucas and Sue Moorcroft.

It has been a while since the last Tanglewood book, but in no time at all I felt right back at home in the small Welsh town, amongst some familiar faces. 

Don't worry though as this is definitely a standalone, and it's Kezz's story. 

Kezz discovers her mum is moving abroad, that she needs to clear out her grandfathers old house which includes what appears to be most of the remaining stock of his old book shop, that she is temporarily at the very least out of work and that she is being evicted all on the same day.

It's enough to make anyone's head spin, hence her agreeing to take a short break and visit her bestie in Tanglewood. 

And before long not only has she agreed to run a book shop, she also spends a long journey there and back to London in the company of Saul, who even his own sister, has told Kezz to be wary of. 

Saul is wonderful and its clear early on there is some chemistry between the two but whether it will be acted on is up to you to find out 

I loved Betty and her predictions, I loved the Christmas festival, the face painting, and a whole lot more besides.

Its' festive, its cosy, and its a whole lot of fun too.  A fabulous new addition to the series and I hope this won't be the last we see of his village. 

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