Living The Dream at Puddleduck Farm - Della Galton

 

Life would be idyllic if everyone else was on the same page…

Puddleduck Vets Practice is busier than ever.
Phoebe Dashwood is juggling the usual crazy animal antics of her quirky clients, whilst organising the wedding of her bridezilla grandmother and thankfully dating her perfect man.

Phoebe loves every minute of being a New Forest vet, even if she hardly has time to catch her breath. If only she could find some quality time for her and the man of her dreams, life would be perfect.

When an ex’s heartbreak stirs up some emotions from the past, Phoebe realises she must deal with some unfinished business. It would seem a miracle is needed to pull off a happy ending for everyone – but is it within Phoebe's power to work miracles?

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

My Review:
The third book of this series, the grand finale some my say. I’d recommend reading the previous books before this one as it ties up loose ends and clears up situations from the previous book.

I must admit I wasn’t keen on the romantic developments in the last book, I didn’t really see the connection other than being best friends. It was obvious Sam adored Phoebe, but she wasn’t overly sure, and it took some time. Personally, I thought she was settling for someone she knew loved her rather than actually feeling it herself. I’m not actually fully convinced even after this book, but I do like all the characters  and it’s nice to read stories that have positive endings.

We catch up with everyone throughout the book and see how their story plays out. We even see Rufus going through some emotional ups and downs and discovering support in the most unexpected place, he finally finds what he needs and it definitely comes with a bigger surprise than any of us expected.

I enjoy Dellas storytelling, it is well paced and keeps you entertained from start to finish. I have always enjoyed the inclusion of animals and their antics, and this time was no different.

A lovely way to end the series! 

Author Bio:

Della Galton writes short stories, teaches writing groups and is Agony Aunt for Writers Forum Magazine. She lives in Dorset.

Social Media Links –  

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/DellaGalton

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

Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/DellaGaltonNewsletter

Bookbub profile: Della Galton Books - BookBub

The Sweet Shop of Second Chances - Hannah Lynn

"A delightful, well written tale, full of wonderful characters in a charming setting. I loved it!" - Katie Fforde

Starting over never tasted so good

Holly Berry has it all; a good corporate career, a steady boyfriend, and enough savings that they will soon be able to buy a nice little house. But when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, she decides to retreat to the Cotswolds and a place full of far sweeter memories.

Quite literally.

However when Holly discovers the quaint village sweet shop that she worked in as a teenager is starting to crumble she decides that maybe the sensible life isn’t what she wants after all. Putting all her chocolate eggs in one basket, she says goodbye to the city, and sets her sights on Just One More.

After all, how hard can running a sweet shop be?

With charismatic Giles, ready to rescue her at every turn and the local bureaucrats breathing down her neck, it certainly isn’t the quiet life she expected. Can Holly really save the place from the the wicked developers, or will she be the reason Just One More closes its doors for good?

Full of laughter, sweet clean romance and cozy village life, The Sweet Shop of Second Chances will make you believe that the best things in life really are worth fighting for.

Purchase Link -  mybook.to/hollyberrybook1

My Review:

A mouth watering, sweet treat of a book – and a pleasure to know it’s the first in a series! Finishing this story left me with a smile on my face, a hankering for some treats and dreaming of a little trip to the glorious sounding Cotswalds.

Our main character, Holly, is a sensible young woman. Years if seeing her Mum ans Dad struggling to get by has left her working hard to save money and make sure she can invest in her future. Finding her partner in bed with another woman, Holly flees and goes back to the village in which she grew up. Holly needs to make some decisions about her future so when she’s revisiting her past, Holly looks to her former teenage place of work, Just One More; the village sweet shop. Her arrival is just in time– developers want to buy it. Holly uses those savings to try and save the sweet shop – can she turn things around for both herself and the sweet shop?

Holly has the support of friends, both old and new who help her every step of the way but for all those that want to help there is someone very keen to see her fail. Can she stop them ruining her plans and can she discover who doesn’t have her best interests at heart.  

This is funny, heart warming and enjoyable from start to finish. Holly is a really likeable character who I wanted everything to work out for.

I am really pleased there are more to follow as I’d love to know what happens next. 

Win one of Five Signed Paperbacks - https://www.subscribepage.com/hannahlynncomp

Author Bio:

Hannah Lynn is a multi award winning novelist. Publishing her first book, Amendments – a dark, dystopian speculative fiction novel, in 2015. Her second book, The Afterlife of Walter Augustus – a contemporary fiction novel with a supernatural twist – went on to win the 2018 Kindle Storyteller Award and the Independent Publishers Gold Medal for Best Adult Ebook.

Born in 1984, Hannah grew up in the Cotswolds, UK. After graduating from university, she spent 15 years as a teacher of physics, first in the UK and then Thailand, Malaysia, Austria and Jordan. It was during this time, inspired by the imaginations of the young people she taught, she began writing short stories for children, and later adult fiction.

Now settled back in the UK with her husband, daughter and horde of cats, she spends her days writing romantic comedies and historical fiction. Her first historical fiction novel, Athena's Child, was also a 2020 Gold Medalist at the Independent Publishers Awards.

Social Media Links:

https://www.instagram.com/hannahlynnwrites/

https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahlynnwrites/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HannahLynnAuthor/
Twitter @HMLynnauthor
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13830772.Hannah_M_Lynn
Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/hannah-lynn

One Snowy Week in Springhollow by Lucy Knott

Tomboy Scarlett thought Devon would be her best friend forever. He was the only person in Springhollow who supported her ambitious artist dreams. But then one winter, Devon and his parents disappear without warning to start a new life in NYC and a devastated Scarlett is left alone to face her high-school bullies and overbearing mother.

Fast-forward ten years: Scarlett is playing it safe in her childhood village with a dull PA job and a wardrobe that passes her mother's old-fashioned standards. Meanwhile, Devon is a Hollywood heartthrob, starring in the latest superhero blockbuster. And he's finally coming home for Christmas...

Scarlett can't help blaming her former best friend for the way her life has turned out, but Devon's cheeky charm and gorgeous smile prove difficult to resist. Devon always did make her feel on top of the world, but Scarlett knows her heart isn't racing just because she has her friend back – is it mistletoe madness, or is she seeing Devon in a completely new light?

Scarlett hasn't taken a risk in years... but this Christmas of second chances could finally be her time to shine.

Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jo Thomas and Holly Martin.

My Review:

Looking for a cosy and heart warming read to snuggle up with this festive season? Then this could do the trick.

Scarlett and Devon are inseparable at 16, best friends bound by the united loves for all things seemingly geeky. Years of hi-jinks and antics are abruptly cut short when Devon moves to New York. After his departure Scarlett can no longer allow herself to find pleasure in the things that connected them – Marvel and superheroes. Years later Devon returns to the village having found fame as a Hollywood actor staring as, yes, you guessed it a new superhero.

Unwilling to forgive her former best friend for abandoning her, will Scar give Devon the chance to be back in her life or has too much time gone by?

Celebrating all things geek – I love it and a real refreshing change for the norm of main characters. I could really feel Scars sense of abandonment and coupled with Mother issues, I could understand her difficulty in moving past it and being able to have any connection to the friendship she felt she had lost.

Devon seems a great character both when he was younger, getting into mischief, and now as a superhero star. I loved the use of flashbacks to demonstrate some of the trouble the pair caused and a glimpse into the special relationship they had.

Of course, there is romance. It wouldn’t be complete without it really and as much as I wanted to see this former friendship restored, I was hoping they would realise what everyone else probably already expected – they were destined to be in love.

With a gorgeous village setting, it’s a great story that also highlights the importance of being true to yourself, owning who you are and never letting anyone or anything change that. Happiness comes in many ways but being yourself is the biggest part in that.

Lucy Knott writes brilliant books, with gorgeous characters and storylines. Check out her other books too, a real treat. 

Purchase links:

 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/32sEaMQ 

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3pf4Ry7 

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Ikp84y 

iBooks: https://apple.co/35dyPdZ

About Lucy:
Lucy Knott is a former professional wrestler with a passion for storytelling. Now, instead of telling her stories in the ring, she's putting pen to paper, fulfilling another lifelong dream in becoming an Author.

Inspired by her Italian Grandparents, when she is not writing you will most likely find her cooking, baking and devouring Italian food, in addition to learning Italian and daydreaming of trips to Italy.

Along with her twin sister, Kelly, Lucy runs TheBlossomTwins.com, where she enthusiastically shares her love for books, baking and Italy, with daily posts, reviews and recipes.

Follow Lucy:

Twitter: @TheBlossomTwins

Facebook: @TheBlossomTwins 

Instagram: @theblossomtwins

The First Date - Zara Stoneley

Right place.
Right time.
Wrong guy …

After breaking up with her childhood sweetheart, clueless dater Rosie has found herself in a boyfriend-drought. So when she finally swipes right on a guy who seems interested, she can’t wait to meet up IRL.

Until she’s left standing alone. In a bar. Ghosted.

Enter Noah. Confident, funny … and a serial first dater. Offering to give Rosie a crash course in seduction, this could be just what she needs. Until her matchmaker turns out to be the best date she’s ever had – and Rosie wonders if she wants the fake dates to be the real ones after all …

A hilarious, heart warming romantic comedy about what happens when the wrong guy turns up at the right time, perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Debbie Johnson.

My Review:

A delightful, fun filled book with humour that will have you laughing out loud and giggling at the blunders, miscommunications and tension between our two main characters.

I really enjoyed the blossoming friendship between Rosie and Noah, they had a great chemistry and banter. In my opinion Noah is the easier character to like, he has charm in buckets whereas Rosie is a tad selfish. Rosie grew on me the more I read, I think the more she opened up and the more she acted like a grown up rather than a poor little girl with Daddy issues, the more I liked her. There is a lot of emphasis about the issues her Dad’s ‘extra curricular activity’ and how it has changed her view of men/dating. I think it goes on a bit, I mean she’s not the first nor last it would have been a problem for. Thank goodness for Noah who is not afraid to say what he thinks about her Dad.

Rosie’s Mum was another cool character and taught her daughter some much needed lessons thankfully. I love a crazy character and she is that indeed! It took Mums actions for Rosie to move forward and see she could attempt relationships, or live a little dangerously.

It’s pretty obvious where the story will go but I have no problem at all with that, I was rooting for the romance between them to grow into something more.

It’s well written and amusing, a fantastic read if you are looking for something to put a smile on your face. Highly recommended!

About the Author:

Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Date. 

Born in a small village in the UK, she wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true.

She writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say 'ahhh'.

Zara now lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Zara’s bestselling novels include 'The Wedding Date', 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'.

BLOGTOUR: Magic Under the Mistletoe - Lucy Coleman

About the book:

Christmas and romance are in the air...

 

It's December 23rd and while everyone else is rushing home for the holidays, workaholic Leesa Oliver is dreading switching on her out-of-office for the festive season. And it seems her equally driven boss, Cary Anderson, isn't relishing spending Christmas at his family's country estate either.

So together, they draft an unexpected Christmas contract: They'll spend half of the holidays with each other's families, pretending to be a couple. Leesa knows the insufferably good-looking Cary will make her Christmas more bearable, but what happens after the last of the mince pies have been eaten...?

Leesa signed off on a sensible business agreement, but somewhere, amongst the fairy lights and carols something seems to have changed... It seems there might just be some magic under the mistletoe this Christmas!

My Review:     

Woah, what a festive treat! For festive fans and those romance lovers.

Leesa on a long-haul flight with Cary – a workaholic, picky man who has deserted her back in economy. They are colleagues but only really start get to know each other better on this flight back from Sydney. With bad weather stalling her original plans, Leesa finds herself heading to his family for the night; both characters do not seem enthralled with having a festive filled Christmas though – will this change?

I must admit Cary seemed like a right idiot at first and it put me off. I didn’t want to like him at all…but… I guess by the end he may have won me round a fair bit, I couldn’t help it.. I got swept along with all the characters and even him! I was all for Leesa from the opening page, she seemed like my kind of girl and if it was a hallmark movie, she’d be the character everyone loves – the girl who has been through so much and is scared, the girl who has readers on side from the start.

Lots going on in this story, it kept me interested and I do love when fate seems to have a plan that ensures our main characters get what they deserve, even if they aren’t expecting (or wanting) it at all. Thought it brilliant that the timing of the book takes us on a journey, not just a quick glimpse in time. We see throughout the book there are complete misunderstandings, drama and family issues that save this being what you typically expect.

Lucy Coleman gives us emotion, heartache and sincerity – such an emotional read, that will give you a cosy warm glow.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           About the author

Lucy lives in the Forest of Dean in the UK with her lovely husband and Bengal cat, Ziggy. Her novels have been short-listed in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Lucy won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award.

Follow Lucy:  

Twitter: @LucyColemanAuth

Facebook: @LinnBHaltonAuthor

Buy links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YIPik8

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2YQx4NZ

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

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

COVER REVEAL: One Christmas Star - Mandy Baggot

Just in case you didn't know by now, I am a massive Mandy Baggot fan. I've been eagerly awaiting more so I am really pleased to be able to share the cover of Mandy's Christmas book - One Christmas Star.

Isn't it gorgeous! I'm happily getting festive vibes this lovely July day.. can't wait to read this one. Here's more about it:

Emily Parker is set to have the worst Christmas ever!

 

Her flatmate's moved out, she's closed her heart to love and she's been put in charge of the school original Christmas show – with zero musical ability.

Disgraced superstar, Ray Stone is in desperate need of a quick PR turnaround. Waking up from a drunken stupor to a class of ten-year-olds snapping pics and Emily looking at him was not what he had in mind.

Ray needs Emily's help to delete the photos, and she needs his with the show. As they learn to work together they may just open their hearts to more than a second chance...

Pre-order links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JujZ7W

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Jw0zji

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

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

About Mandy Baggot:

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy's books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian. Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Follow Mandy:   

Facebook: @mandybaggotauthor

Twitter: @mandybaggot

Thanks to Aria Fiction:

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Love Heart Lane - Christie Barlow

AVAILABLE HERE

Goodreads Blurb:

Welcome to Love Heart Lane…
When Flick Simons returns to the small village of Heartcross she only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular – Fergus Campbell.
When a winter storm sweeps in, the only bridge connecting the village to the main land is swept away! As the villagers pull together, Flick finds herself welcomed back by the friends she once left behind. And as the snow begins to melt, maybe there is a chance that Fergus’s heart will thaw too…

My Review:

I love a book set in a picturesque village, with a strong community spirit with a great mix of characters that all bring something very different. 'Love Heart Lane' is a wonderful example of this. Set in the small, Scottish village of Heartcross we have the first of what will be a lovely series of books. I definitely think this is a village and group of characters I could really become very fond of!

Felicity (Flick) fled Heartcross 8 years ago and is now back and must face the hurt and upset from those she left behind. When bad weather takes hold and causes a major disaster, Flick seems to be voice of reason and spokesperson for the village - can she fix what is broken - literally and in terms of her relationships/friendships?

I liked Flick, she is strong and very capable. She keeps her head in a crisis and confident in terms of speaking up for herself and others - a couple of times I felt she was a little too full on though; with regards to Fergus, she hardly gives him any space to compose himself now she's back before she's on at him about how she feels and wanting him back. I just felt a bit sorry for him. 

Don't get me wrong, I think Flick is a great character and I really felt for all she had been through, I understood her reasons for leaving Heartcross but didn't think she appreciated that time moves on and everybody would have carried on with their lives too. She is a great heroine, and she does work hard to cement her position back within the community. She does get involved in literally everything that happens from delivering babies to delivering food parcels! 

A lovely tale of renewing friendships, accepting situations beyond our control and fighting hard for those you love. With plenty of drama, some laughs and a long lost romance, I think Heartcross is going to be a fabulous setting for some great stories. I look forward to finding out more about the other characters of Heartcross.

Comfy Rating: 👍👍👍👍.5