The Beach Reads Book Club - Kathryn Freeman

 

Welcome to the Beach Reads Book Club…where love is just a page away…

When Lottie Watt is unceremoniously booted out of her uptight book club for not following the rules, she decides to throw the rulebook out the window and start her own club – one where conversation, gin and cake take precedent over actually having read the book!

The Beach Reads Book Club soon finds a home for its meetings at Books by the Bay, a charming bookshop and café owned by gorgeous, brooding Matthew Steele, and as the book club picks heat up, so too does the attraction between Matt and Lottie.

If there’s anything Lottie has learned from the romances she’s been reading, it’s that the greatest loves are the ones hardest earned.

A love letter to chicklit, romance, romcoms, whatever you want to call them!

Purchase Links

UK AMAZON https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0931Y5W12

US AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0931Y5W12

My Review:

For book lovers and readers of all kinds, here we have a dream book – a wonderful romantic tale that really does celebrate books, book clubs and genres that do not get the true recognition they deserve.

I loved the book club in this book and wish I could be part of it; I also enjoyed the fact they talked about books and authors I love.

Lottie is a girl with gumption, and I think she’s absolutely brill. Bored of the stuffy book club lead by the seemingly miserable and stuffy Eve, she decides to start her own. Returning a book to the local book shop, she meets the new owner and slowly but surely a plan is formed!

Such a lovely compliment of characters, the book club members form a great friendship and that is a key part of the story – how much they help and support each other in difficult circumstances.

Matt is the new owner of the book shop, determined to keep his family together following a loss, he has his work cut out to make everyone happy. He is smart, well mannered, and not exactly in his comfort zone. Matt has built up his defences, but I knew from the start Lottie could be the one to break them down.

A lovely romance, their budding friendship and relationship grew on me the more I read. Is it predictable and cute? Yes – nothing wrong with that at all. Isn’t that the point of the book club anyway…

It’s well written, funny and entertaining (Audrey is so funny!) but it has a little drama; nothing ever runs smoothly does it!

Highly recommended for book fans and romance lovers. Perfect summer read! 

Author Bio:

A former pharmacist, I'm now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it's the reaction to a sexy hero. 

With a husband who asks every Valentine's Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

       

A Summer of Surprises, Little Duck Pond Café - Rosie Green

 

When Ruby Watkiss lands a job at the True Loaf Bakery, she feels as if the sun has finally come out. Having been through a traumatic time that wrecked her confidence levels, it’s a joy to be working for Ellie, and now all Ruby wants is to lead a quiet life and support her mum in getting the help she needs.

But life, it seems, has other plans for Ruby.

Working alongside the bafflingly rude Hudson Holmes would be bad enough – but then odd things start happening. It seems that someone is out to sabotage the café and bakery, and to her horror, Ruby finds the finger pointing at her.

Desperate to prove her innocence, she teams up with the most unlikely person in order to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Tailing suspects and hiding in bushes isn’t something she ever imagined she’d be doing, although her partner in mystery-solving seems the perfect man for the job. Can they clear Ruby’s name by discovering the real culprit?

With all the drama afoot, at least there’s no time for romance. Because that’s the very last thing on Ruby’s mind these days. Or is it…?

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3feTsKn

My Review:

One of my favourite series! After 16, Rosie has built quite the community whilst still managing to keep the stories fresh and different. If you haven’t read any of the series, don’t be put off. You can totally pick each up and read as a standalone, they include enough information to give you a bit of background but not too much to put off those that have read them.

I am always jealous of those stumbling on this series for the first time and them being able to work their way through them all!

Introduced to some new characters, you soon learn a lot about them as well as how they will fit with the rest of the community. I loved Ruby, and her relationship with Hudson. Their mystery solving is second to none, I loved it, fun and interesting! I was trying to figure it all out alongside them but Rosie did very well at keeping the mystery going for us readers. I changed my mind so many times, I really couldn’t figure out who was behind the sabotage.

Whilst these books are cheerful, fun, reads they do incorporate serious, sensitive topics and issues. Rosie does very well at tugging on our heartstrings, playing with our emotions and hitting us straight in the feels.

Another fabulous visit, I am already looking forward to the next!

Author Bio:

Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little.

Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by 'the baddies'.

Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all - unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Her series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘Sweet Pastries & Sourdough', is out now.

Look out for more Little Duck Pond Café tales in 2021!

Follow Rosie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green88

The Promise of Summer - Bella Osborne

 

Ruby’s life is about to change for ever…

After years of dating losers, cheats and one guy who did something unrepeatable to her kettle, Ruby has all but given up on romance. But then a stranger sits next to her on a train to London and explains his plan to propose to the woman of his dreams. Maybe true love does exist after all?

When the man accidentally leaves the engagement ring behind, Ruby is determined to save the day. But she hasn't counted on fellow passenger Curtis stepping in and insisting he should be the one to track the stranger down.   
 
As summer closes in, the unlikely pair make a promise to reunite the ring with its owner. But can they find their own happy ever after along the way?

Purchase Links

Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R6Q4T66/

Universal Amazon link - http://mybook.to/ThePromiseOfSummer

KOBO - https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-promise-of-summer

My Review:

A fun, heart warming romance, full of character, spirit, and happy times.

Bella is brilliant at incorporating humour alongside touching moments of emotion, creating intricate stories with complicated relationships and special characters.

I love the characters in The Promise of Summer -Ruby has given up on finding love, she’s met man after man and they have all let her down. She knows what she does want and is intent on making it happen. She is bright, sassy and full of life, so meeting an awkward Curtis, who is intelligent an super successful in his chosen field, on a train to London sets things off on a very different path.

I really enjoyed how these characters complimented each other and how they brought out the best parts of each other. I loved how their friendship blossomed.

Bella’s writing drew me in and kept me thoroughly engrossed from start to end. It is everything you want from a feel good, romantic fiction. Perfect for all reading occasions, I highly recommend you grab yourself a copy and enjoy!

Author Bio:

Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel. Since then she’s written seven best selling romantic comedies and she’s been shortlisted three times for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She lives in The Midlands, UK with her husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog. When not writing Bella is usually eating custard creams and planning holidays.

For more about Bella, visit her website at www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on social media.

Social Media Links –

Twitter - https://twitter.com/osborne_bella

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

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bellaosborneauthor/

The Beginners Guide to Loneliness - Laura Bambrey

 Tori Williamson is alone. After a tragic event left her isolated from her loved ones, she’s been struggling to find her way back to, well – herself. That’s why she set up her blog, The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness, as a way of – anonymously – connecting with the outside world and reaching others who just need a little help sometimes.

When she’s offered a free spot on a wellbeing retreat in exchange for a review on her blog, Tori is anxious about opening herself up to new surroundings. But after her three closest friends – who she talks to online but has never actually met – convince her it’ll do her some good, she reluctantly agrees and heads off for three weeks in the wild (well, a farm in Wales).

From the moment she arrives, Tori is sceptical and quickly finds herself drawn to fellow sceptic Than, the retreat’s dark and mysterious latecomer. But as the beauty of The Farm slowly comes to light she realizes that opening herself up might not be the worst thing. And sharing a yurt with fellow retreater Bay definitely isn’t.  Will the retreat be able to fix Tori? Or will she finally learn that being lonely doesn’t mean she’s broken . . .

Welcome to The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness! Where you can learn to move mountains by picking up the smallest of stones…

Purchase your copy - HERE

My Review: 

A brilliant debut from Laura Bambrey; I enjoyed ‘The Beginners Guide to Loneliness’ from start to finish. It’s emotional, fun-filled, dramatic and covers some very sensitive topics that will resonate with many readers. You get a real sense of how much love and passion has gone into creating these characters and their stories. It’s such an impressive debut -I will be looking forward to more.

Tori is our main character, and she is one I immediately empathised with. She has been through so much and the pain/hurt she feels means she isolates herself from others and is determined to keep people from getting close. She feels lonely and has cultivated an online persona for herself, one in which she has control, speaks freely but is anonymous. Her online friends have been her rock and guide her into making some big decisions. When an opportunity comes for Tori to visit The Farm; a retreat where she can take more time for herself and her issues; the warriors are all for it and convince her to go.

The Farm is brilliant, very “out there” for Tori and I couldn’t imagine myself in her position at all! I adored the cast of characters, you could tell who would be good and who would cause trouble. I am a huge fan of Rowen though – that girl is going to go far and she really comes through for all involved in the end.

The Farm seems like the perfect place for some respite and to discover a little more about yourself; maybe we should all have a visit! I

With themes that can be sensitive like grief, torment, guilt, fear and betrayal, great care has been taken by Laura to write this with compassion and with great balance with funny, laugh out loud moments.

Keep an eye out for Dennis, he may be the star.

I highly recommend this one – enjoy!

The Secret Notebook - Julia Wild

 

When Izzie Dean’s beloved nan, Molly Blackshaw, passes away, Izzie returns to the Blackpool bungalow where she grew up, to say goodbye once and for all. When Izzie’s homecoming reunites her with her first love, Justin Swift, every emotion that Izzie has repressed since the day he broke her heart comes rushing to the surface. But then an unexpected discovery changes everything.

Between the pages of the battered secret diary Molly kept during WWII, Izzie discovers a story of love, heartbreak, and the incomparable hardship of life in a world at war. Reading her grandmother’s words soon puts her own story into perspective, and suddenly Izzie realises that the only thing holding her back from happiness, might be herself. Now she just has to convince Justin that they deserve a second chance at forever…

Purchase Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RS6JBRJ/

My Review:

A truly lovely, sweet and romantic story with dual timelines – that of Molly finding true, lasting love and Izzie her granddaughter, discovering secrets and healing her own personal wounds.

Upon her beloved grandmothers death, Izzie returns to her bungalow with the intention to clear it out, redecorate and sell up. Discovering an old diary reveals a heart-breaking story that had long been buried; all whilst Izzie is coming to terms with her own loss she must also face up to the future. She runs into long lost love, Justin and is still hurt by what did or did not happen in the past.

As much as I enjoyed Izzie’s story and her reconnecting with Justin, and finding herself again; I was completely swept up in Molly’s story. I could have just read a whole book on her and the Blackshaw twins.. I was hooked.

This book is very well written, so engaging, I liked the characters and didn’t feel anything was overly complicated or distracting. It’s a heartwarming story full of love, loss and truth.

A gorgeous, relaxing read. Highly recommended. 

Author Bio:

Lancashire born, I moved to Bedfordshire in the late seventies, married and started a family. I’m a past Hon Sec of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, have been a member since 1993 when I joined their New Writers’ Scheme as a probationer. That came about after winning a week’s historical writing course on the strength of the first chapter of my third Poldark-era romance. The tutor on the last day loved the story and handed me details of the Romantic Novelists’ Association – she said I absolutely must join as they would be able to help me towards publication.

Some four years later my first published book, Dark Canvas, won the RNA’s New Writer’s Award in 1997, the sixth, Illusions, won the RNA’s Romance Prize in 2003.

After working in the local library service for 18 years, during library cut-backs I took the leap to become self-employed as a writer and worked on releasing my backlist as eBooks for Kindle.

Most recently, I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing Charlotte Ledger when she pulled me from the writing wilderness and have now signed a three-book deal with One More Chapter.

Social Media Links –                      www.facebook.com/authorjuliawild

Twitter:                                             @juliawildauthor

Instagram:                                        juliawildauthor

Website:                                          www.juliawildauthor.co.uk

Secrets on the Italian Island - T.A Williams

 

Her work has got in the way of relationships before – but never like this

Anna’s job as a geologist takes her all over the world, including to the beautiful island of Elba, where she’s sent to look for precious metals. And the island isn’t the only thing that’s gorgeous – she can’t believe her luck when she meets windsurfer Marco and sparks fly.

But Anna must keep her role on Elba a secret to avoid upsetting the locals, which means lying to Marco even as they grow closer. When her old friend Toby visits, Anna suddenly finds herself torn between the attentions of the two men. However, Anna’s not the only one keeping secrets.

Is Marco being entirely honest with her? And why did Toby really come to visit?

A fun and escapist romance, perfect for fans of Lucy Coleman and Alex Brown.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/SecretsIsland

My Review:

Let T.A Williams whisk you away this summer with the brilliant escapist read. The third book in the Escape to Tuscany series; each a standalone but a wonderful selection of reads – I highly recommend! Fantastic descriptions of scenery and surroundings; I could picture myself there among the action – I wish! 

Anna is a hardworking geologist, with no work life balance. She is at a point in life where she thinks a change may be needed, no matter how much she loves what she does. Her work takes her to the stunning island of Elba; an Italian dream destination, in search of precious metals. 

She soon makes friends in the local community and struggles to keep the reason for being there a secret. Elba residents are protective over it’s natural and undisturbed habitat and Anna realises just how difficult a position she is in. Anna tries to come to some conclusions about her life – in terms of relationships and who is right for her as well as what she wants from her career.

I liked Anna, she seemed kind, caring and passionate about what she does as well as those she cares about. I was worried she would be easily led by those that couldn’t be trusted. 

Great writing, wonderful location and interesting characters make this one book you need to pick up! A great summer read, romance and adventure galore - I highly recommend. 

Author Bio:

I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I did languages at university a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only seven years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

The fact that I am now writing romantic comedy is something I still find hard to explain. My early books were thrillers and historical novels. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations, even if travel to them is currently difficult.

Social Media Links –:

Website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tawilliamsbooks

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

Bubblegum and Blazers - Isabella May

 

When Ali, Blake, Charlotte, and Grant sign contracts to star in a Back to School reality TV show, LOVE is the very last thing on their minds:

Ali flies to the UK from New Zealand, intrigued by the golden opportunity to advance her amateur social media influencer career.

Blake carpe diems the moment with both hands after a constant flurry of bad luck.

Charlotte jumps at the chance to relive her sporting glories of the past - and take a hiatus from her humdrum marriage.

And Grant is just relieved to get away from his failing second-hand music shop.

But once the advances hit their bank accounts, it soon becomes apparent that producer Jock’s Pied Piper-style offer to change their lives is distinctly lacking in sherbet fizz!

In fact, the only sweet thing about this gig for the former students and the rest of their Bubblegum and Blazers competitors, may just be the packet of candy in their pockets.

Re-enacting their past is a rollercoaster of revelations, retaliation, and unlikely romance in a gold-fish bowl of mayhem where Raphael (Agony Uncle of the school sweet shop) and his rhubarb and custards reign supreme...

Purchase Link – mybook.to/bubblegumandblazers

My Review:

What a nostalgic treat! This book took me right back to a time where reality TV was huge, I remember sun filled summers loving the 24 hour feeds to Big Brother etc and being heavily invested in the contestants lives in this television spectacle. Bubblegum and Blazers is a trip down memory lane with Isabella May’s witty, fun filled story of former school mates reuniting.

This ‘Back to School’ style TV show is a first for me, and something I could really imagine taking place. In fact, lets all watch this space and see how long it takes! A cast of characters that provide laugh out loud moments with their antics as well as shock at the revelation of long-held secrets, with drama and a fall from grace for those who truly deserve it. Long over-due consequences are dealt to certain students who expected the glory of their former school days to be repeated this time around.  

There were a lot of characters, each with their own story/background, at first it was difficult to keep track but as the story progressed, I was able to keep track; although reminiscent of Big Brother etc; I never could get fully invested until they’d ousted a few!

Must warn you though – stock up on the sweets for when you read this because your mouth will be watering for old school retro treats.

A fun read, I got through it quickly as I was swept away by the fun and shenanigans. Perfect for those who would like a trip back in time.

Author Bio:

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalusia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the mountains and the sea. Having grown up on Glastonbury's ley lines however, she's unable to completely shake off her spiritual inner child, and is a Law of Attraction fanatic, as well as a Pranic Healer.

After a degree in Modern Languages and European Studies at UWE, Bristol (and a year working abroad in Bordeaux and Stuttgart), Isabella bagged an extremely jammy and fascinating job in children's publishing... selling foreign rights for novelty, board, pop-up and non-fiction books all over the world; in every language from Icelandic to Korean, Bahasa Indonesian to Papiamento!

All of which has fuelled her curiosity and love of international food and travel - both feature extensively in her cross-genre novels, fused with a dollop of romcom, and a sprinkle of magical realism.

Social Media Links:

www.isabellamayauthor.com

Twitter - @IsabellaMayBks

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMayAuthor/

Instagram - @isabella_may_author