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
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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