I am delighted to be on the Blog tour for Lynne Shelby’s A Venice Summer!
The Blurb
Art conservator Rose Bennet is still reeling from a bad break-up when she is offered a dream job in Venice, restoring an art collection in the Ca’ D’Ambra, a six-hundred-year-old Venetian palazzo. Despite her fears about travelling to a foreign country on her own, Rose is soon heading to Italy for the summer.
While she is awestruck by the breathtaking beauty of Venice, Rose finds the owner of the palazzo, the arrogant and short-tempered Luca Casserini, insufferable. When he questions her ability to do her work, she almost heads straight back to London, but decides that she won’t let herself be intimidated or driven away before she’s even had a chance to ride in a gondola.
Losing her way in Venice’s picturesque maze of canals and alleyways, the last person Rose wants to see is her employer, but when they meet by chance and, to her surprise, he offers to show her around the city, she feels it would be churlish to refuse.
Spending sunlit summer days exploring Venice with Luca, Rose discovers a passionate side to him, very different to her first impression, and her feelings towards him begin to change …
Rose knows she can restore a damaged painting, but can she mend Luca’s damaged heart?
What a gorgeous story! This dual-timeline tale focuses on an art conservator, Rose, who moves to Venice for the summer to work on a special project. While there, she begins to unravel a mystery connected to the 16th-century painting she is restoring, and possibly falls headlong in love not only with Venice but also with a certain young man. Reading the short snippets relating to a young Italian noblewoman, rumoured to be the subject of the artwork being restored, really added another layer of depth to the whole story. Rose’s character warmed to me as she isn’t a flighty young thing but is undergoing her own metamorphosis when she escapes to Venice for a job that fell at her feet at an extremely convenient time. Luca, the owner of the palazzo where Rose is stationed, is a brooding Italian hero with his own responsibilities, which he never forgets, and I love that in a man! When I read destination books, I always want to go there to experience the place, and this book did exactly that. The authors’ fantastic descriptions of the areas in Venice and the architecture really made me want to visit personally, too. The details regarding the restoration of artworks were fascinating, and I now want to go to a proper Venetian masked ball!
Lynne Shelby writes contemporary women’s fiction/romance. Her debut novel, ‘Meet Me In Paris,’ (originally titled French Kissing), won the Accent Press and Woman magazine Writing Competition. She has done a variety of jobs from stable girl to child actor’s chaperone to legal administrator, but now writes full time. When not writing or reading, Lynne can usually be found at the theatre or exploring a foreign city – Paris, New York, Rome, Copenhagen, Seattle, Reykjavik – writer’s notebook, camera and sketchbook in hand. She lives in London with her husband, and has three adult children who live nearby.
I am delighted to be on the blog tour for Jaimie Admans’ The Sunshine Teashop/
The Blurb
Dolly Lymford is having one of those days… 🧁🫖
The kind that starts with dreams of opening a café… and ends with discovering your boyfriend kissing your best friend!
Heartbroken and with nowhere else to go, Dolly accidentally-on-purpose borrows her now-ex-boyfriend’s campervan and drives until the road runs out. This leads her to Thimblenouth, a picture-perfect Yorkshire Dales village where life moves more slowly and the kettle is always on.
After literally bumping into gorgeous local builder Reece Sterling, Dolly begins to feel something she hasn’t in a long time: safe. She also rediscovers her love of baking, filling the campervan with the scent of warm scones and freshly brewed tea. And Reece is always around to share a lemon pie or two…
When Dolly has an idea to open her own pop-up café, Reece is all too happy to help. And as the summer sun begins to warm everything it touches, Dolly wonders if she’s finally found a place to call home… maybe even with Reece.
But can she really build a future on borrowed wheels?
A warm, uplifting story of fresh starts, village kindness, and finding love where you least expect it — best enjoyed with tea and cake.🍰
Oh, what a lovely story to read, as I am on the comedown from a glorious holiday! Dolly starts the story with a bang, and not a good kind. Set up to start a wonderful business with her best friend, a cafe, she finds herself betrayed in the worst possible way by both friend and boyfriend. This is where the fun starts. Stuck with no home, no family to support her and no other real friends to turn to, Dolly does whatever comes into her mind, and that is escaping, to anywhere, in the campervan of her ex-boyfriend. She finds herself in Thimblenouth, a little village up North with fond memories attached. I loved the entire story, her confused, panicked exit from her disaster of a life, to the slow-paced calm of the Yorkshire village. Her unconventional meeting with Builder Reece, and the way their friendship grows, is a perfect slow-burning example. Dolly loves nostalgic baking, and just how her little business venture from the campground grows is heartwarming, as she begins with a simple bake to soothe and creates sweet masterpieces that remind all those who eat of fond memories. I loved the little family she finds herself with, as the local gossips warm to her, and end up being her biggest supporters, A story that warms you and has a real feel-good quality.
Jaimie Admans is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies – including The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane and The Chateau of Happily-Ever-Afters. Her series for Boldwood, The Ever After Street Series, is based on the magical world of fairytales.
It is blog tour time for another book! This time, Wed or Alive by Portia Macintosh
The Blurb
She’s not getting hitched. He’s just here for the ride.
Whitney’s life is not going to plan. Her romantic comedy novel isn’t selling, her career feels stuck, and by the time she realises she’s in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy, he’s back from his work trip with a fiancée – and a wedding date that is alarmingly soon.
Enter Jake: a cowboy with his own problems, including a country estate he’s desperate to buy and an owner who doesn’t trust developers – or men without roots. When a viral moment throws Whitney and Jake together, they strike a deal. Whitney gets the real-life love story publishers want. Jake gets to look like a committed, family-minded man who belongs at Rosewood. All they have to do is pretend they’re in love.
As Andy’s wedding approaches, Whitney uncovers a plot twist that could change everything for him – but the romcom she’s acting out with Jake is starting to feel dangerously real.
Falling for your best friend is complicated, but riding off into the sunset with a cowboy is pure fiction… Right?
I honestly loved this story, where I was convinced one thing was going to happen. I thought I KNEW the ending, but then – PLOT TWIST – and a curveball came and moved the target! Whitney is in a funk. Her book idea isn’t selling, her agent is trying, but all she can get are ghostwriting gigs. Plus her love life is pretty bad, too. JJ, her agent is trying hard, as one of her besties, to set her up. Her other long-term bestie and flatmate, Andy, is away, and Whitney has a realisation that maybe he is the one for her.,. Here is where the plot twist hits, and I won’t tell you what it is, but let’s just mention Cowboy, and Jake… a fountain, a proposal, a lot of lies and a bit of little too late honesty… It all makes for a fantastic beach read! Many Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Portia MacIntosh is the multi-million copy bestselling author of over 40 romantic comedy novels. Whether it’s southern Italy or the French alps, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages. Formerly a journalist, Portia lives with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.
Hello and goodbye to April, arriving with the school holidays, so YAY! And I have been away for a week, too, in beautiful Jamaica, with my Lil Princess! You will need to check out my Instagram for some gorgeous sunshine-filled photos of our break!
Formatting has been my companion this month, as I get things ready to press Publish on my three novels! I might need some help getting these out there again soon! The covers are being redesigned, and I hope they will be out again in the next couple of weeks for lovely readers to enjoy!
So I read and listened as best I could. I have listened less this month, as I have walked less, but I have read plenty!
I love a Paige Toon book, and this was a great read, as usual. Lots of emotion and angst, as well as some wonderful romance, too. Grace moves to France for the summer at the behest of an old friend, or rather an old crush, Jackson. He’s newly divorced, so there’s a chance she still has feelings for him. But she bumps into brooding Etienne, who stirs feelings in her she can’t shake. Things are revealed, including the fact that she knew Etienne before, too, from one of her trips to France as a youngster. There are secrets and choices that need to be made, all set in fantastic surroundings, with a great cast of colourful characters, including Mellie, Grace’s kinda grandma, with whom she stays. The ending was good, but I only wished for a little more… Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House, Cornerstone for an ARC.
I’m not sure what I was expecting here, but it sure wasn’t the story I read! A gory look at the tortured mind of a young British Indian woman, Avni, who seeks pleasure in rather twisted and downright bloodthirsty acts. It wasn’t really the book for me, but I can see it appealing to many others, Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC.
This was an easy, cute listen, with FMC Stevie suddenly finding herself with an inheritance, much to the distaste of her mother and sister. She uproots her life in London to a sleepy, but beautiful little town where she buys a tea shop. Stevie meets some wonderful characters, as well as some rather horrid ones, and of course, there is a hunk or two… but there is only one for her. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this on my walks.
Well, this was a bit of a departure from author J S Strange’s debut! Where that was a straightforward (excuse the pun!) MM romance The Boyfriend Academy was a dark academia-based story, with, of course, the MM twist. I’m not one for dystopian stories, if I am honest, but I was sucked into this one from the off. Set many years in the future, this story takes place at a prestigious boarding school, Ganymede, where boys are sent to become the best men they can be before being paired off with their selected partners. There’s no political party in charge. The Monarchy hold the reins for the country, fully, now. Slowly ridding their society of toxic masculinity, and creating perfect men and women, healthy and intelligent, ready to repopulate a population vastly depleted over the years. But nowhere in this plan has the Monarchy allowed for those who may not feel attractions to those other than a different sex, or even those who are more gender fluid. This is a dark story in which the MCs, Dylan and Roman, are fighting an attraction so strong that it is under the watchful eyes of superiors who may not have their best interests at heart. There is some powerful chemistry between the two, and I almost wish they had more of a chance to explore. I can’t tell you much more here, as you need to read for yourself, and I don’t want to give any spoilers away. But I do hope there are plans for a book 2… Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins, One More Chapter, for an ARC.
I enjoy reading Emily Kerr’s books, and this was a lovely, easy-to-read romance, based on an Oxford canal in a Bookish Boatshop! Or Boatship, I should say! Molly took over the boat from her beloved Nanna Rose and wants to make her floating business a success, but it is harder than she thought with so many hidden expenses and not as many customers as she would like. She comes up with some ideas to support her finances, and, along with Hilda, her adorable Irish Wolfhound, she sets about a Blind Date with a Book event, which leads to her meeting some significant characters: Jack and Liam. There is slow burn, a bit of a triangle, and some mystery at play, and all done in the best bookish way! A great read!
I loved this next instalment in Halima Khatun’s series with our FMC now pregnant, and navigating the next journey as a married woman and a self-employed person, with a lovely husband, who is great, but sometimes oblivious! Thoroughly enjoyed listening to her escapades, and thoughts on pregnancy, as well as her observations on everything pregnancy-related!
This is a powerful, emotional short by one of my favourite authors, Amanda Prowse. Imagine, indeed, if you could have fifteen minutes with a dear loved one who is no more. Chen is someone who can give that exact gift to specific people, and though they don’t always believe he can, they are thankful for the opportunity. From a grieving friend who wants permission, to a widower who can’t let go of the past, to a father grieving his son… each section of the story brings tears to the reader’s eyes. I was reading on a plane, and it was pretty tough to control my emotions, I tell you! If you love stories that pull on the heartstrings, then this is for you!
This was a kick-ass story set in the late 90s about a black woman, Nikki Rose, and her struggles within the publication industry. Working hard to prove herself at a successful magazine, she feels she is the token melanin shot to make the company feel they have fulfilled a quota. She finds herself with an opportunity to change a little part of her world when an Editor In Chief position is offered to her in a smaller concern, but with a magazine she has visions to mould into the read for all young urban black women, with issues and articles relating to them, and their world. There is so much to unpick and unpack within this, with the toxic masculinity, the overt racism, the way rap culture influenced many, and shines a light on so much that is, unfortunately, still relevant today. A powerful read.
I feel like a Sandy Barker book always preempts my summers, and this year is no different, with a fantastic read to enjoy on the beach! The Great Italian Holiday Mix-Up is a fab romance, with a twist. Two couples meant to be on the holiday of a lifetime, somehow get separated via the holiday company that organised their trips. Okay, so it doesn’t help that the two males in the couples have the same names, but, we have 4 people finding themselves in a bit of a predicament, But I guess sometimes you need a mix-up to gain clarity on something so familiar it’s become stale. You have a gorgeous location, and forced proximity, strangers to friends… and maybe to lovers? I loved this story, and there is a little steam to cheer up the sauce brigade, too, at the end, after plenty of hints! A great beach read.
Imagine a day when you finally begin to speak your mind, after years of doing so, to keep everyone around you happy? This is the premise for the story, where our FMC is a working wife and mother – always doing everything for her children, no longer operating as husband and wife, physically, taking one another for granted, and slaving away at a job she has held for years, only to have a well-deserved promotion snatched from her, as she is basically too much of a ‘yes’ woman, and has become part of the furniture, rather than valued… A chance encounter with a new fellow employee, and a little bit of illicit substance later, means that something snaps in her irreparably, and she finds herself unable to stop her thoughts from leaving her mind. The reaction to her going from people-pleaser to people UN-pleaser is dramatic. Some cannot fathom a world where she dares to say no, some find it amusing, and some are cheering her on for finally finding a backbone. She works through some different longstanding issues and deals with so many issues, like narcissistic parents, misogyny, and sexual harassment at work, in a way that I was reading here, by the sidelines, cheering my girl on! Sometimes, I wish I had the gumption to do this. In fact, as I get older, I think I care less about others’ thinking, but how liberating, to finally be the woman she wants to be! I really enjoyed reading this story of empowerment and finally finding oneself.
You, Mrs Faulkner, have written another cracker of a book! Filled with angst, romance, and that perfect hint of heat (well, actually, more spice!), it was a perfect beachside read! Alyssa is an influencer and love coach, but her life gets turned upside down when a relationship ends, and her income dwindles as she has fewer couples to coach toward love. She’s a bit jaded about the L-word anyway, because life has thrown some real negatives her way, and as a result, all her relationships are tarnished. A chance opportunity brings her back to her hometown, a quaint little village in the Cotswolds, Hartglove, a place she has tried her hardest to distance herself from, even changing her name to be a different person. And here she is, now, there, immersed in her old life, but with a new alias. Her task? To test-drive a new app that is the total opposite of her own business model, with the app finding you your ideal partner. Does it work? Well, I won’t tell you that, but what I will say is that she meets her BUM (you need to read to find out the acronym meaning!) and he is a blast from her past, and boy, has he grown into a fine man, Dylan is a GOD (Another acronym you need to read to understand!) and all the difficulties that ensue are rivetting! I cannot finish this review without mentioning Pikachu, the little mouse who keeps her company, through almost the whole of the book. So cute! An absolute cracker of a story, a wonderful book and honestly, one of my favourite feel-good reads so far this year!
An Italian Island Love Story is a fantastic mistaken identity, close-proximity, strangers-to-lovers story, with a young widowed mother of one, Toni, finding herself in Elba, a small Italian Island, to work on a wedding, where she goes to stay with the florist Gabri, only to find out that she is a he! I love that it wasn’t drawn out too much; they express their attraction quickly. However, the emotional angst is REAL, and it is brilliantly done! Tying in Gabri’s accidental meeting with Cillian, Toni’s son, and how their relationship develops is another plus in the story. And I loved the little learning points dropped in about foraging, flowers, and turtles! Such a cute, lovely story, perfect for that holiday read!
Kiley Dunbar has written another cracker of a story here, set in Cairn Dun, where the Highland Repair Shop is still going strong, and brings with it an unlikely situationship between two youngsters, and a little suspicion and angst between our main older characters, McIntyre and Ros, the owners of this fab repair shop. I loved the relative innocence of Peaches, a young woman who has been sheltered from so much by an overprotective mother who really only wants the best for her baby. Tie that in with the budding romance between her and Euan Sparks, a local lad who has returned to live with his grandfather, and the gentle sparks that fly there, and it makes for a lovely, slow-burning romance. And the escapades of Jolyn and Shelly were a fun, brief interlude. I also love how Kiley has added the SEND dimension through the story, with lil Jolyn, who has communication issues. As we were introduced to him in a previous book, it was great to get a little update on how he was getting on. We get to learn about some of the April traditions and celebrations, and we’re treated to some recipes from Kiley at the end.
I honestly loved this story, where I was convinced one thing was going to happen. I thought I KNEW the ending, but then – PLOT TWIST – and a curveball came and moved the target! Whitney is in a funk. Her book idea isn’t selling, her agent is trying, but all she can get are ghostwriting gigs. Plus her love life is pretty bad, too. JJ, her agent is trying hard, as one of her besties, to set her up. Her other long-term bestie and flatmate, Andy, is away, and Whitney has a realisation that maybe he is the one for her.,. Here is where the plot twist hits, and I won’t tell you what it is, but let’s just mention Cowboy, and Jake… a fountain, a proposal, a lot of lies and a bit of little too late honesty… It all makes for a fantastic beach read! Many Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Oh, what a lovely story to read, as I am on the comedown from a glorious holiday! Dolly starts the story with a bang, and not a good kind. Set up to start a wonderful business with her best friend, a cafe, she finds herself betrayed in the worst possible way by both friend and boyfriend. This is where the fun starts. Stuck with no home, no family to support her and no other real friends to turn to, Dolly does whatever comes into her mind, and that is escaping, to anywhere, in the campervan of her ex-boyfriend. She finds herself in Thimblenouth, a little village up North, with fond memories attached. I loved the entire story, her confused, panicked exit from her disaster of a life, to the slow-paced calm of the Yorkshire village. Her unconventional meeting with Builder Reece and the way their friendship grows is a perfect example of a slow-burning romance. Dolly loves nostalgic baking, and the way her little business venture from the campground grows is heartwarming, as she begins with a simple bake to soothe and creates sweet masterpieces that remind all who eat of fond memories. I loved the little family she finds herself with, as the local gossips warm to her, and end up being her biggest supporters. A story that warms you and has a real feel-good quality.
Well, that is another brilliant piece of writing by the amazing Elizabeth Strout! Each time I read one of her books, I feel like I have explored another layer of humankind… Artie is our main character in this book, and it is set in the US with the backdrop of what is happening out there in the world, the troubles in Gaza and the Middle East, as well as a deep-rooted fear about what is happening within politics in the USA, without naming a specific, ‘ahem’, person. He is a teacher, and as he teaches, he observes a great deal about the high school students he teaches. With his calm demeanour, he alters the perceptions of certain students, despite having gone through a dark time personally. Artie’s relationships with his students, colleagues, son Rob, and friends reveal different facets of his personality, and they could shine a light on any of us and our own thoughts. I don’t really know how to describe my feelings about this book, only that it hit hard. There is a lot to digest and think about, considering what the world is like right now…
Judy Leigh has a knack for her words, and her stories featuring more mature heroines who live life to the fullest have quickly become books I reach for. A French Fling for the Golden Gals is another great example of one of these stories. Maxine is sixty-one years old and retiring from her long-term job in a charity. It’s time to put herself first, though. As she embarks on the first celebration with her partner, she walks into her flat and finds him in flagrant with her best friend… What follows is her decision to really think about what she wants, and one suggestion is to get away for a bit. She finds herself in a small village in Brittany, where she meets a wonderful community of both French locals and British people now calling the town of Plouvannec-sur-Mer their home. Through this story, Maxine deals with a long-standing sense of grief and explores how to heal. And along the way, she supports others in healing, as well as finding out whether she is still capable of love or any kind of romantic affection. The entire cast of characters is likeable, and I find myself wishing to take a long break somewhere like Plouvannec-sur-Mer, to ‘find myself’ too! This follows another story, but can be read as a standalone.
And here is another beautiful summer read from the fantastic Heidi Swain! Tilly is tasked with the difficult task of scattering her father’s ashes, alone, at a place she and her brother have the fondest of memories. She travels to the heart of Suffolk, to a little village, Willowwell, and finds a small Air B’n’B for a few nights before planning on travelling to her brother, wherever he may be working at the time. On arrival, she finds a stretch of woodland for sale adjoining a house, Fernside, which she used to dream about as a child. But would she be able to buy this land and set up her dream business there? Tilly meets some fantastic characters on her trip, including Constance, the owner of the house and woods, and a mysterious lawyer, James, who may just steal her heart… but things are never that straightforward. Secrets emerge, or rather unmentioned information, which causes a clash of interests that could derail everything she has dreamed of. I really enjoyed this emotive story, with a positive main character, and so much joy amid the confusion.
A blog tour read for next month! Review to follow!
Imagine if you were gearing up for your wedding and at the last minute, your husband-to-be calls it off? Not only are you in pieces about that, but you are up for a promotion at work, yet your boss insists you need time off, because you are tightly wound up, and you keep bumping into your ex’s best friend, who hates you. That’s Holly’s situation. Plus, she has a non-refundable honeymoon to take, but can’t change the name on the ticket, so she somehow finds herself talked into finding a guy with the same name as her ex so she can take this break. I enjoyed listening to this, as the characters were easy to like, and the romance, well, I think I kinda knew where it would come from, but how it all happens is nicely done.
After reading The Help, I was very excited to read this. The Calamity Club is a LOOOONG book for anyone who finds anything over 300 pages a lot to read. At over 600 pages, it is quite a commitment, but totally worth it! There are stories of two characters told in parallel in Mississippi, USA, in the 1930s. One is Meg, a young girl in an orphanage, treated awfully, but just praying her mama will be coming to get her out soon. Then there is Birdie. She is a young woman, destined to be one of the old maids, because of a tragedy in her past that has rendered her barren. The lives of these two characters intertwine as they navigate tricky times and find themselves embroiled in situations they never expected. The 1930s were a tough time, with the remnants of slavery talk, the dry states, and alcohol being taboo, as well as the houses of ill repute that hid in plain sight. These aspects are brought into the story to layer it in a way that kept those 600+ pages turning! I loved reading this, as it was a fantastic story and a bit of an education about what 1930s Mississippi was like Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books.
This was a simple to listen to, entertaining story about a woman dealing with loss and finding comfort in the strangest of places. Maggie loses her mother and struggles to come to terms with that loss. One thing that helps is her version of journaling: rather than writing it in a book, she texts it to her mum’s old phone. Only the number no longer belongs to her mother… I loved this not-quite-mistaken-identity story, as Maggie never knew someone could be receiving her texts, and the person on the other side ends up being the therapy she never knew she needed. Chase is the cutest of guys, and how he handles Maggie’s texts is so sweet! An easy read, with a great HEA.
My, my! 22 books read and listened to this month! You know that is a good vacation month, lol! Which one caught your eye?
But I Smile Anyway... 