If We're Not Married by Thirty - Anna Bell

Available here

BLURB:

Lydia's not exactly #LivingHerBestLife. She never imagined she'd be here at thirty - newly single, a job that's going nowhere and her friends all winning at life when she's still barely taking part. So she jumps at the chance of a free holiday and jets off to sunny Spain. 
Then, out of the blue, she bumps into her childhood friend, the handsome and charming Danny Whittaker. She's always had a crush on him and they soon enter into a passionate holiday romance. 
But this relationship could be more than just a fling. Years ago they made a pact that if they were still single when they turned thirty they would get married. But noone really follows through on these pacts . . . right?
Could Lydia's back-up man really be her happy ever after?

My Review:

I've really enjoyed Anna Bells previous books - The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart and It Started With a Tweet and 'If we're not married by Thirty' is yet another fun,will they/won't they romantic comedy. It  is a light hearted, enjoyable story that will take you on a journey of friendship and romance. The funny adventures of the characters in this book had me chuckling away throughout, definitely a book to put a smile on your face. 

She is a great leading character. I liked that she was relatable  – she is creative and hard working yet waiting for that next step in her career, she lives in her sisters basement but like anyone she has her flaws. I loved the scenes that show her getting into embarrassing situations such as when she thought she was going on a date that wasn't a date or when Danny's Mum walked in on her. Anna Bell wrote those parts so well, I was cringing as I read.

Now, Danny. I have to admit I wasn't totally bowled over by him. I thought he was a bit arrogant, show-offy, selfish and to be honest I didn't think he was very trust worthy or in fact the best match for Lydia. I was expecting some big reveal was going to happen and that Lydia would find her way back to her ex. 

I like the style of writing, I quickly got into the book, loved the descriptions of all the different places we found Lydia/Danny. I wasn't expecting massive, shocking twists but I knew there would be plenty of hiccups, ups and downs and misunderstandings that would ensure the path of true love didn't run too smoothly.

I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of a light hearted, fun little rom-com. It's perfect for a quick read around the pool.

Comfy Rating:👍👍👍👍

Sunset over the Cherry Orchard - Jo Thomas

AVAILABLE HERE

Goodreads Blurb:
It's time for Beti Winter to dance to her own beat.
 
After three failed engagements Beti is in desperate need of a fresh start. What better place than the sun-drenched hills of southern Spain? But it's not all sangria and siestas. Beti finds work on an old Andalucian cherry farm where there are cherries to be picked, trees to be watered and her fiery boss, Antonio, to win over.
As the sun toasts her skin, Beti finds herself warming to the Spanish way of life. Embracing the art of flamenco, she discovers there is much to learn from the dance of passion. She just has to let loose and listen to the rhythm of her heart.

My Review:
I've got to start with the cover – how stunning, The gorgeous colours are eye catching, its definitely what got my attention and compliments the setting of the book.

Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard is a fabulous story about having dreams, big, lifelong ambitions and not being prepared to settle for anything less, not giving up and working towards your goal no matter what. It is a tale of believing in yourself, believing you are good enough if you are happy to put yourself out there and face all life has to throw at you.

This was my first read by Jo Thomas (Where have I actually been?!) and was pleased to discover a story full of humour, fun and some special, tender moments. I found surprises littered throughout; with quirky characters (who could have their own stories to tell), unexpected friendships and blossoming relationships.

One of my favourite elements of the book was the descriptive, inclusion of flamenco, reading how Beti learned and felt impassioned by it was inspiring, I was all for booking a flight and heading off for my own flamenco adventure! Let's also praise the mouth watering foods mentioned throughout.

Beti is a wonderful leading lady; she's not had much luck and in typical fashion for this style of book, at first it doesn't seem that a move to Spain is going to be the happy ever after she wants. I liked how she developed, her outstanding work ethic and I was rooting for her to get the happy ending.

I loved how Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard transported me on a gorgeous, sun kissed adventure. A wonderful story, that's very well written. I was engrossed and finished almost in one sitting. I have already read another by Jo Thomas (review to follow) and can firmly say she is now amongst my favourite, must read authors.

Perfect read for those looking for adventure and love.  

Comfy Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

BLOGTOUR: The Girl in the Pink Raincoat - Alrene Hughes

About the book

In wartime it takes courage to follow your heart.

Manchester, 1939.

Everyone hated the heat and the deafening noise, but for Gracie the worst thing was the smell of chemicals that turned her stomach every morning when she arrived at the Rosenberg Raincoats factory.

Gracie is a girl on the factory floor. Jacob is the boss's charismatic nephew. When they fall in love, it seems as if the whole world is against them – especially Charlie Nuttall, who also works at the factory and has always wanted Gracie for himself.

But worse is to come when Jacob disappears and Gracie is devastated, vowing to find him. Can she solve the mystery of his whereabouts? Gracie will need all her strength and courage to find a happy ending.

My Review:

I enjoy historical fiction and was more than pleased at being given the opportunity to read this book.

It did not disappoint – I loved it! 

From the moment I started reading about Gracie, Jacob, Sarah etc I felt like I was there in Manchester 1939. I felt like Gracie was a friend, who I was fairly protective over. Reading about her falling in love with her bosses nephew to eventually being alone at the alter, well my little heart broke for her but loved that Gracie followed her heart and did what she needed to do - for Jacob.

Gracie is strong though, she works hard through her heartache and is one determined young woman (maybe a little stubborn at times!). She is a gorgeous character, very well written, very entertaining and the ending, well it was perfect and is clearly what was meant to be for her. It did make me wonder if there could be a sequel – I would quite like to hear from Gracie again.

There were a few surprises, moments that I gasped out loud and felt really emotional about. Such a beautiful story that is told very well.

I have never read anything by Alrene Hughes before this so I didn't know her style but I can say I truly enjoyed it. The story unfolded at a good pace, it had me hook, line and sinker from the off. I read it in a couple of sittings because I was so absorbed by the story. I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in wartime romance, historical fiction.

Thank you to the publishers (@Aria_Fiction) and Alrene Hughes for providing me with a copy of the book to review.

About the author

Alrene Hughes grew up in Belfast and has lived in Manchester for most of her adult life.
She worked for British Telecom and the BBC before training as an English teacher. After teaching for twenty years, she retired and now writes full-time.

Follow Alrene:

Facebook: @alrenehugheswriter

Twitter: @alrenehughes

Buy links:

                            Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HU9E4V                           

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2HKJRN5

iBooks: https://apple.co/2TEXaQO

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2YqUREC

Follow Head of Zeus:

Website: www.headofzeus.com

Twitter: @HoZ_Books

Facebook: @headofzeus

BLOG TOUR: Island in the Sun - Janice Horton

Thank you to Janice Horton and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this wonderful book tour. 

Island in the Sun Blurb:

When successful jewellery designer Isla Ashton unexpectedly inherits her eccentric Aunt Kate’s Caribbean island, she is obligated to return to the place she associates with heartache and regret. To where she grew up and fell in love with her childhood friend, Leo Fernandez. Fully intent on selling the island and finally putting the past behind her, Isla is soon compelled to put together the pieces of what really happened on a fateful night ten-years before. She begins to believe that in going to prison, Leo hadn’t only been shielding her from the same fate. She also starts to suspect that her late Aunt hadn’t been entirely honest in sending her away under the guise of recriminations. Who had they both been protecting and why?

Purchase HERE

My Review:

I have to start off by mentioning the cover - isn't it wonderful. As soon as I saw it I wanted to dive into the book - and book a holiday! I think the cover really does set the scene really well. As a fan of the Caribbean, Pearl Island sounds exactly like my kind of place and I loved the descriptions of the island as well the community it homes.

Janice Horton's well written, descriptions really had me dreaming of sun kissed, white sands, luscious seas, exotic gardens - it was easy to imagine being right there with all of the lovely characters she creates; Kate, Isla, Leo, Jack and Grace (who is my favourite because I have a soft spot for the kindly, care giving types!)

Island in the Sun moves between the current day and from periods in Kate's history to the events of ten years previous, it's is clearly structured and written so that it doesn't get confusing. Given that secrets and memories all thrown into the mix, I loved discovering what had happened so long ago that had kept Isla feeling so angry towards Leo.

At first, I felt that Isla had really held on to her anger for far too long and I wasn't sure I would like her but as she learned the truth of the past I grew to like her more. I saw things from her perspective and realised she'd been kept in the dark for so many reasons. 
I liked Leo's character - he made mistakes but he was young and took the punishment that he didn't necessarily deserve. He has worked hard over the past 10 years, determined to prove himself - especially to Isla. I liked how he was persistent in getting her to actually listen, to see him as the man he had become but that he wouldn't stand for her being cruel and hard toward him.

As we learn more, the characters evolve, grow together through their own reasons of grief - loss of those they loved as well as the time they have lost. It's often said the path of true love never does run smooth and that is very true for Leo and Isla, I was riveted at the end and hoping for the best outcome.


A gorgeous, sun filled romance, full of surprise and emotion - this book will take you to paradise. A wonderful read. 

Comfy Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

About the Author: Janice Horton

Janice Horton, also affectionately known as the backpacking housewife, writes contemporary romantic fiction with a dash of humour and a sense of adventure. Once her three children had grown up, Janice and her backpacking husband sold their empty nest in Scotland UK along with almost everything they owned and set off to travel the world. Since then they have been traveling full-time and have explored over 50 countries, living out of an apartment, a hut, or wherever they happen to find themselves.

Janice works as a writer wherever she is in the world. When not writing bestselling romantic adventure novels, she writes lifestyle and travel features for her website and her work has featured in national and international magazines like ‘Prima’ in the UK and ‘Friday’ in Dubai. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland’s Write Here Write Now project and has been interviewed on many podcasts and radio shows including Loose Women’s Kaye Adams’ prime time BBC Radio Scotland Show.

Social Media Links –

Website: https://thebackpackinghousewife.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceHorton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicehortonwriter/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/janice-horton

FIRST CHAPTER REVIEW: After the Green Withered by Kristin Ward

After the Green Withered: Blurb

They tell me the country looked different back then. 
They talk of open borders and flowing rivers. 
They say the world was green. 
But drought swept across the globe and the United States of the past disappeared under a burning sky.
Enora Byrnes lives in the aftermath, a barren world where water has become the global currency. In a life dominated by duty to family and community, Enora is offered a role within an entity that controls everything from water credits to borders. But it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. From the wasted confines of her small town to the bowels of a hidden city, Enora will uncover buried secrets that hide an unthinkable reality. As truth reveals the brutal face of what she has become, she must ask herself: how far will she go to retain her humanity?

My Review: As this book genre is not one I would typically ever choose, I will be reviewing the first chapter. 

I didn't know what to expect. This is a genre so far removed from what I would usually read I have to admit the thought of even reading a small part of it didn't excite me. In fact I put it off for a long time. 

The book is a YA, imaginative, dystopian view of a future America where the the world is a mess, and is scarily perceivable as a future possibility. Currency is water and the key to survival. 

I was impressed by the prologue, well written and engaging, I was surprised at how interested I'd already become. Setting the scene isn't always easy, writers have to do enough to get your interest without giving too much away or making the story seemed rushed. I think the prologue and chapter 1 is really well thought out; she explains the scenario well. After the prologue I was definitely keen at jumping into the first chapter and actually meeting the characters involved. 

I definitely enjoyed the first chapter, I found it very descriptive and set a scene nicely. I liked the introduction to Enora, the teenage main character, she is interesting and I liked hearing her perspective on a world she had grown up in. A world that is far removed from what I know yet can entirely imagine in a future many years from now. Scary thought maybe. 

As fresh eyes to this genre and type of book, I enjoyed what I read. I didn't read on... yet. I think I will read some more at some point as I would like to see how it goes but I haven't the urgency to read it right now. I shall finish it eventually, I think it will make a nice change. 

I liked the writing and think that fans of the genre and this author will really enjoy this book. 


About the Author:

Kristin Ward has loved writing since middle school but took thirty years to do something serious about it. The result is her Best Indie Book Award-winning novel, After the Green Withered, followed by the sequel, Burden of Truth. She lives in a small town in Connecticut with her husband, three sons, and many furry and feathered friends. A SciFi geek to the core, she is fueled by dark chocolate and coffee and can be heard quoting eighties movies on a regular basis.

Twitter   Website


Purchase Links:
After the Green Withered on AMAZON
Also: https://books2read.com/after-the-green-withered

Thank you Kristin Ward and especially to The Write Reads (@the_writereads) for organising this Ultimate Blog Tour and providing me with the opportunity to take part. 

How many books - Target or Pressure?

New Years Eve 2018 and it's about that time, you know what I'm talking about - the time each year where we all rack our brains, think back over the past 12 months and forward to a brand spanking 365 days of gleaming, new opportunities. Many of us make resolutions; to lose weight, stop smoking, save money etc etc. Half hearted attempts at self improvement that generally don't last until the end of January let alone the year. It's also the time book lovers gather together their lists of 'best reads' or 'ones to watch.' 

I've previously spoken about the self imposed book buying ban (The Book Buying Ban - How to tackle the TBR pile) and how sticking that out for January would never be repeated, but there is something I have done this year as I did in 2018 - set a Goodreads reading challenge target. 

I started late in 2018 - around July time - and set what I thought was a ridiculous number of 50 books. My intention was to add the books I'd read before July, as many as I could remember anyway. I was thrilled as I saw the count go up and up, it really spurred me on. The more I read, the higher it got and the more I wanted to consume any old book I could get my hands on (not hard when you have what seems to be a TBR mountain in your bedroom). 

I completed the challenge - people that know me say I did it easily - and at the end of 2018 I'd finished up reading 69 books. To be honest I thought it was a bit of a fluke.

Deciding my target for 2019 was probably more difficult than it needed to be. 

I didn't want to set it too high as I would hate not to achieve it but then I didn't want to set to too low and it seem silly.

When I had a figure in mind I asked the opinion of my sister and my Mum. They watch me read, they think my book buying habits are hilarious. They have a wonderful ability to know what I think of a book as I am reading it - usually by the pace at which I am reading, the face I pull or the fact that when they speak to me it doesn't register and they have to repeatedly call my name to get my attention.

I told them my target was going to be FIFTY again. I though this was realistic as I work full time and often do things at home, I have a little craft business and attend craft fairs regularly so I am often making stock - I thought fifty would be a great number of books for the year. They laughed - real full on laughter - and just shook their heads in disbelief. Both agreed my target should be 80. I wasn't having it, nope, not with how much of my time is used elsewhere - but I did decide to set my challenge at sixty. 

Four months later and I'm sat questioning if the challenge itself is a good thing or if it is putting pressure on yourself to ensure you meet that number.

I adore Goodreads; I love the way you can keep track of what you've read, what you thought of the books, the authors etc. I enjoy how you can see what you're friends and people with similar book tastes have read, enjoyed and reviewed. It's a great way, for me, of keeping track of what I have read because I didn't really before. I have the intention and would start lists or use address books so I could put them in by author but I used to lose interest or the book.

I mentioned that previously I had felt spurred on, motivated to read knowing it would add to

my tally.. but is actually is it a level of pressure that I don't need adding to my life? Am I really enjoying all the books or just zipping through them for the sake of increasing my number?

So far 2019 has been a lovely year, some AMAZING books, some wonderful ARCs have come my way and I've found some great new authors - would I have come across them regardless of the challenge I've put on myself - yes. Have I had the challenge in my mind with almost every book I've read? Yes. 

I've noticed I don't just read now, I also know which "number book" it is. Should that really be what I care about when reading a book, what it takes my tally to? I've also noticed that I compare my number of reads to that of my friends on Goodreads, I just can't help myself.

I'm not a competitive person by nature, not at all but with this I've woken some kind of weird competitive vibe in me that I dislike. I love that anyone reads any amount, I celebrate when I know people love a good book and when they find an author or genre that they like, I actively go out of my way to share the love of a book, pass books on and make recommendations - so why do I care about the number of books anyone else has read?

As of 7th April my Goodreads Reading Challenge total: 

Not even four full months of the year and I have already reached my target. I have read some incredible books  and genuinely, I don't feel like I have ever read for the sake of my target but I do wonder without it, would I have read this many books by now?! More importantly - would I have cared? 

My sister teases that even her target for me (80) is going to look silly by the end of the year but who knows. The reality is that I could amend that Goodreads target but I know I won't. I'll leave it as it is, hopefully as a reminder that it doesn't really matter.

Reading is loving a book, enjoying the stories that are created, the characters that become friends, finding authors that give us tears, heart break, love and hope - it's why we all stick our head in a book, lose ourselves in a different world and do it over and over again. 

Will I even set Goodreads target next year? Probably.
Will I increase my target next year? Probably not. 

Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop - Rebecca Raisin

AVAILABLE HERE

Goodreads Blurb:

Rosie Lewis has her life together.

A swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for exactly January 2021.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he's had an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it…?

My Review:

What an utterly charming, delightful book! I was fully immersed in Rosie's new adventure after finding herself alone and determined to prove her (quite awful sounding) husband wrong in that she isn't predictable and boring. A travelling tea shop sounds like the perfect idea to me -and I do love a book that makes me drool for the wonderful treats and delights it describes!

Rosie seems like a woman I would be friends with, shes brave, independent and really funny - I laughed out loud several times throughout. She's been pushed out of her comfort zone but she goes with it and makes the best out of each new situation. I think the combination of her and new friend Aria is wonderful.

 Aria is probably my favourite - a mobile book van, come on!! Books and a tea shop is my idea of heaven. Their friendship is so well written, they support each other perfectly. Both need someone to guide them and work through their different problems, which they do as the story progresses. I could really imagine going to some of the festivals mentioned and sitting with a book from Aria coupled with a wonderful tea from Rosie. 

I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the wonderfully annoying, yet gorgeous, Max. I liked how he continued to push Rosie into new, uncomfortable things and yet she found utter pleasure from them. He really healed her heart and confirmed her ability to be happy and push her boundaries. I think their relationship was well written, sweet and gave Rosie the happy ending I know I was hoping for. 

I have never read anything by Rebecca Raisin before - shame on me! I will be rectifying that. I loved this book, I have never felt tempted by camper vans etc but this genuinely made me imagine life on the road, having adventures and meeting new friends. 

I highly recommend - a book full of adventure, self-discovery, friendship and heart. Thank you to HQ Digital UK and Rebecca for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.