A Breath of Fresh Air - Jessica Redland

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

Purchase Links - https://mybook.to/freshairsocial

My Review:

I love a Jessica Redland series and so have been really looking forward to A Breath of Fresh Air; the second in the Escape to the Lakes series. Having been blown away by the first book and Autumns story, I was keen to see how Rosies story would work out.

Autumn had escaped to the Lake District to meet her long time penpal, and best friend, Rosie. We had already discovered quite a lot about her and her Mum, but this time the focus being on them means we learn so much more. Although it is the second book in the series you could read this as a standalone, you do catch up with Autumn and what is happening with her (I would highly recommend reading The Start of Something Wonderful though).

Rosie lives with her Mum Alice, is the manager of the local riding stable on the estate where she grew up. She has been happy until recently – worrying about her Mum who is too afraid to leave the grounds of the Estate following an accident years ago, fearing she would remain single forever as well as questioning who her father was. With so much uncertainty and worry in her life she is wary when a familiar face from her past is now very much part of the present.

 I love the characters Jessica creates; they are believable and feel like friends who you want the best for. I emphasised with Rosie, her frustration and worry and understood why she guarded herself against further hurt. Alice was a frustration for me, I really do like her and sympathised with the trauma she had been through I just wished she’d try and get some help for herself. There are characters you are definitely not meant to like, especially as we discover some heart breaking truths.

Another excellent read, honestly I can’t praise Jessica Redland enough for constantly bringing us books with great settings, wonderful storylines and engaging characters.

A Breath of Fresh Air is just that for readers. A book to thoroughly enjoy, full of emotion, hope and heart. Already looking forward to the next book. 

Author Bio:

Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a hedgehog rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.

Social Media Links

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Bookbub profile: Jessica Redland Books - BookBub

 

An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street - Jaimie Admans

 

A picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street...

A tale as old as time…

Since her mum’s death, Marnie Platt has shut herself away from everyone who cares about her. Worse, her beloved bookshop on Ever After Street is suffering too. With sales down and the shop’s garden falling into disrepair, Marnie risks losing the very last thing she loves. Until a chance encounter with her surly and reclusive neighbour….

Dark and brooding, Darcy O'Connell likes to keep himself to himself. But when he hears Marnie needs help, he can’t turn his back on her. Soon they are spending most evenings together in her enchanted garden and a friendship starts to bloom…

With the help of old and new friends on Ever After Street, Marnie's bookshop begins to thrive again, and with Darcy's kindness, she starts to get her sparkle back too. She just can't understand why Darcy continues to shut himself away - especially from her. Can she convince him it isn't too late to embrace life, and maybe love, again?

Because every story, even theirs, deserves a happy ending….

My review:

Magical and heart warming, for Beauty and the Beast fans everywhere. A story of romance, overcoming insecurities and being true to who you are, no matter what.

A second book in the Ever After Street series, and a glorious, fairytale that had me hooked from start to finish.

Marnie, grieving her Mum, runs bookshops – A Tale As Old As Time. They ran the shop together, so her Mums loss has impacted in massive ways. When the bookshop is put at risk, she is devastated and determined to make changes, with or without the input from her grumpy neighbour Darcy. She’s never seen him, nobody has, but a chance encounter from either side of the wall leads to a very unique and unexpected friendship.

As the story unfolds, both Marnie and Darcy open up, they help heal each other in many ways and form a bond that is special. When we discover the trauma in Darcys history we can understand why he has been the way he has, it was emotional and made his development throughout the story so much more special.

I loved the characters, I think they complemented each other and brought the best out of one another. I was so glad this book was set in a bookshop (a book lovers dream!) yet again I felt the sense of community within this story; with great characters we have previously met popping up and meeting those that may take a main role in future books.

A gorgeous read, great writing, engaging characters and I am already looking forward to the next in the series. 

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

Author Bio:

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. She lives in South Wales and was previously published by HQ Digital. Her new work for Boldwood, The Ever After Street Series, is based on the magical world of fairytales, the first title of which will be released in Spring 2023.

Social Media Links:  

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Bookbub profile: Jaimie Admans Books - BookBub

Sunrise Over Strawberry Hill Farm - Alison Sherlock

 

She drives a tractor. He arrives in a red Ferrari. What could possibly go wrong?

Flora Barton is desperate to save her family home Strawberry Hill Farm. She only needs one thing - a great business idea to keep the farm afloat!

So, when Nico Rossi arrives from Italy with a crazy plan to save the farm, Flora should be overjoyed. The trouble is the Rossi men are infamous playboys and sensible Flora doesn’t trust impetuous Nico at all.

Nico has been trying to escape the famous Rossi surname his whole life. Arriving in sleepy Cranfield after recently losing his beloved grandfather and family vineyard, he has no intention of staying on any longer than necessary. But he soon realises how desperate the situation is and throws caution to the wind to help turn the farm into a Glamping site.

Can Flora realise her dreams to keep the farm safe for the future and can Nico ever stop running from his past?

As they try to save Strawberry Hill Farm, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll discover why opposites attract...
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/strawberryhillsocial

My Review:

Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm is the third book in the Railway Lane series. I’ve enjoyed the previous books so have been looking forward to Flora’s story.

Having met Flora in the previous books, I felt like I knew her already. It had been made clear her strong connection to her Grams, the farm they live on and that she has a strong work ethic and is committed to their livelihood.

Flora is wondering what more they can do to ensure they don’t lose the farm when a visitor from Italy comes and definitely shakes things up in more ways than one. Flora isn’t impressed with the new face around the farm and doesn’t trust him at all, she believes he has a certain reputation that makes him completely bad news.

Nico isn’t all that he seems, he has had a life of being cast aside but the world believing his life to be perfect. He wants to prove himself but often doesn’t get the chance.

He wants to help Flora and Grams save their home, but he has work to do to convince Flora he is more than he first appears.

Admittedly I found Flora to be a little… boring, well maybe that’s harsh, but she is so steady and cautious. I wished for her to live a little so when Nico came on the scene, I hoped she would learn to do this. Nico is a gorgeous sounding young man; he is kind and considerate and follows his heart.

I love the idea they work on for the farm, it sounds idyllic and definitely a profitable venture to secure their home. It was also great to catch up with characters from previous books too. I enjoy how Alison Sherlock has created a lovely community feel within her books, the writing is so descriptive you can almost smell the lavender fields, taste the delicious pizzas and hear the sounds of the beautiful countryside.

A great read to kick start the year, well written with interesting characters and feel-good storylines. I look forward to the next in this series. 

Author Bio:

Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold village.

Social Media Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alison.sherlock.73

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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alison-sherlock