PUBLICATION DAY: The Wednesday Morning Wild Swim - Jules Wake

 The Wednesday Morning Wild Swim

She’s trying to figure out her future.

He’s trying to forget his past.

But with the help of some unlikely friends, young and old, and a scruffy dog who just can’t help getting into trouble, a new community is formed – just when they all need each other the most.

Purchase Link - http://mybook.to/WednesdayWildS

My Review:

There isn’t a Jules Wake book that I don’t rave about – I can’t help it; I genuinely love them all. Jules has such a great style of writing, realistic and combining humour and wit with a down to earth feel. This allows us to relate to the characters, love them and take them to our hearts.

The Wednesday Morning Wild Swim is quirky, jam packed with great characters and a heart felt story of acceptance. Accepting who you are, accepting the challenge of moving past your fears and accepting that you are enough.

If you are a fan of Jules’ books, you may remember (one of all time favourite old ladies) – Hilda. She was a force to be reckoned with in The Saturday Morning Park Run and here she is again, being her fabulous self.

Ettie, our dynamic main character, has stumbled from career to career, not fully settling. When her latest job blows up she returns home, back to her family. Finding work locally at a soon to open hotel, Ettie soon finds the pull of the lake calling her. Swimming helps her mentally and she soon discovers that others have that same desire too. Wild swimming is new to Ettie but soon becomes something she craves – and she isn’t the only one. Unfortunately, it’s banned and the owner is absolutely against anyone swimming in his lake.

As Ettie settles into her new role she finds herself getting closer to her new boss, she starts to understand why he doesn’t want anyone near the water. Will Ettie and her new friends be able to curb their desires or will Ettie make him change his mind. When Dominic discovers the biggest lies are the ones told by those close to him, he really sees no way back to trusting them again.

Ettie is a breath of fresh air; funny, random and really not afraid to put herself out there. She is a little economical with the truth, but not in a malicious way, in fact it’s usually to help others. She learns a lot about herself as the story progresses, but she is also instrumental in helping others do the same. She is kind, considerate and a little bit sassy.

Dominic sounds dishy, he’s been through a lot and doesn’t suffer fools. He isn’t overly impressed with Ettie but her confidence and charm win him round to giving her a chance. Ettie surprises him a lot, it’s clear he struggles to hide how entertaining he finds her but he is holding back some truths of his own. I loved seeing him start to open up and I always believed he would end up doing the right thing by everyone around him.

Reading this book has been the highlight of my week – its full of friendship, romance and humour. A feel good story that will leave you with a smile on your face. Great characters and superb writing, I highly recommend to all.

Author Bio:

Jules Wake is the internationally bestselling author of over ten books including The Saturday Morning Park Run. She also writes as Julie Caplin and her Romantic Escapes series has hit the bestseller charts around the world.

After reading English at the University of East Anglia, Jules Wake worked in PR where she honed her fiction writing skills on press releases.  She’s now a full-time author and what better job is there than making stuff up! It certainly beats housework.

Social Media Links – @Juleswake Twitter

https://www.facebook.com/juleswakewrites/

Instagram: juleswakeauthor

The Village of Happy Ever Afters - Alison Sherlock

 

Molly Hopkins has happily watched all of her friends’ dreams come true on Riverside Lane.

Deciding to follow her passion for baking, Molly with the help of her friends takes the plunge and opens a Tea Garden in the village hoping to make it a summer to remember!

Meanwhile, after a rather public end of his marriage, Logan Armstrong trusts no one but his beloved Grandad. He just wants his brief stay in Cranbridge to be as quiet as possible. But his Grandad has other ideas; he dreams of seeing the old watermill working again which might just mean Logan has to ask the village for help.

Can Molly finally overcome her lack of confidence and believe in her abilities to make the tea garden a success?

Will Logan discover that Molly might just be the one to mend his broken heart? And will both of them realise that life is for living and loving?

Over a long hot summer in Cranbridge, perhaps everyone’s dreams of a happy-ever-after can finally

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3rb1z0I

My Review:

I really enjoy this The Riverside Lane Series by Alison Sherlock. This is book4 but if you haven’t enjoyed the series so far you needn’t worry, each book does work as a standalone (I highly recommend reading the others though too).

This book we focus on Molly, one of the friendship group we have come to really love. She has shown many times just how lovely she is, but we see a side to her during this story that is how vulnerable and ‘taken for granted she can feel, that she’s just the one who always does everything for everyone else and nothing for herself.

This is such a good story about putting yourself first, having faith in your abilities, taking a chance, and using some grit, determination, and perseverance to achieve your dreams.

Logan is a great contrasting character to Molly, admittedly at first, I thought he needed a kick up the bum but he has a kind heart, confidence in Molly and does want to help those he cares about. He’s working to get over past hurt and it’s understandable he wants to keep his head down, go about his business without too much of a fuss.

Loved catching up with all the characters within this idyllic sounding village – it sounds such a picturesque setting.  There is some comedy from Del, as always.

A story that captures true friendships, romance and a community who will go out of their way to support their own, welcome new faces and celebrate everyone’s abilities and talents.

Alison Sherlock writes such believable characters in realistic situations; you can’t help but become absorbed in their lives. Highly recommended!

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 new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold Village and the
first title was published in July 2020.

Social Media Links:

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

Twitter  https://twitter.com/AlisonSherlock

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/AlisonSherlockNews

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

A Year of Mr Maybes - Judy Leigh

 

Never say never to falling in love…

Val didn’t expect to be starting again in her seventies, but when life gives her lemons, Val is determined to make lemonade.

Settled into her new home – a picture-perfect fisherman’s cottage in the small Cornish seaside town of Lowenstowe – Val is ready to start a new chapter. And with her son due to get married next Christmas, there’s also the little job of finding herself a plus-one to help her face her ex-husband and his new girlfriend.

With the support of her neighbour Connie, and after decades of married life, Val takes the plunge back into the world of dating with trepidation and excitement. But can she remember how the single life works, let alone what her type is? There seem to be plenty of Mr Maybes, but no sign of Mr Right.

As the year passes, and as friendships and community life flourish, Val begins to blossom. And as Christmas approach, she might just decide she doesn’t need that plus-one after all - although never say never... 

Judy Leigh is back with her trademark promise of laughter, love and friendship. The perfect feel-good novel for all fans of Dawn French, Dee Macdonald and Cathy Hopkins.

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

My Review:

A lovely read by Judy Leigh. A Year of Mr Maybes is a fictional celebration of the older generation really proving you are never too old for a fresh start. A story about rediscovering fun, hobbies, finding new friends and even a little bit of romance.

Catching her husband cheating at Christmas, Val decides to leave him and make a new start. A move to a small Cornish town brings about a host of new friends and opportunities. When her son announces he is to be married the following year, she decides to have a go at dating again and find someone who will be the perfect plus one. She really wants to avoid being alone and facing her cheating ex!

The book contains a strong environmental theme – shown by how she helps the local community, keeping the beaches clean. Through the various activities and people she meets, Val encounters many “Mr Maybes” but realises that she doesn’t really need her “Mr Right” and is very happy within herself – the person she has become and the life she has created for herself.

I was really entertained, I didn’t know what to expect but this was a nice surprise, I enjoyed the read and think many others will too. Not your normal “cosy” or chick lit read, and it was lovely to see the main character was an older lady. I think many readers will find it inspiring.

Entertaining and empowering for the older generation, great stuff!

Author Bio:

Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

Social Media Links:

Website http://judyleigh.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/judyleighwriter

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

Newsletter Sign Up Link http://bit.ly/JudyLeighNewsletter

Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judy-leigh

An Escape to Remember - T.A. Williams

 

She needed a getaway. What she found was a home.

When Louise surprises her boyfriend by returning early from a work trip, safe to say she wasn’t expecting to see him in flagrante delicto with another woman. Heart-torn and vowing to stay away from men, when Louise’s next project involves restoring an ageing hotel in Italy, she leaps at the chance to get away.

Managed by a crew of sextagenarians, the Grand Hotel del Monferrato needs all the love and care Louise can give it. But it’s hard to stay focused on the job when her thoughts keep straying to Vito, the reclusive and mysterious neighbour.

With his tragic past and her no-romance policy, Louise knows they can’t have a future. Yet something keeps pulling the two together…

A beautiful romance set in the hills of Turin.

My Review:

Oh to be under warm Italian skies right now..

T.A. Williams is a master at whisking readers away to glorious locations; I long to jump on a plane every time I get chance to read of his books. Set just outside Turin, this rural, descriptive setting is a wonderful backdrop for this heartwarming romance.

Our main character, Louise heads to a run down, old hotel with the mission to revive and turn it around. She heads there nursing a broken heart and is looking to find her rightful place in life. She isn’t looking for romance at all but when she is knocked off her feet, quite literally, her heart is soon taken. Leo may just be the key to her rediscovering herself.

Local Vito is living a secluded life, he is content at already finding his true love and he needs nothing or nobody else. Highly sought after in his field, an opportunity arises that he cannot turn down but there is one thing holding him back. Can he find a solution?

Oh I was engrossed from the start, it has all the elements to make a gorgeous, head well and truly stuck in, read. Romance, scenery, mouth-watering food descriptions, characters with heart that are very likeable and a brilliant storyline that will keep you cheering on your favourites and hoping it all turns out for the best.

Perfect for the armchair traveller or those who are looking for a great beach read!

Purchase Link - mybook.to/AnEscape

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 escapist romance 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/

Love Blooms at Mermaids Point - Sarah Bennett

 

Bestselling author Alex Nelson is slowly coming apart at the seams after a failed marriage and an abrupt change in career leave him at a crossroads in life. When an unexpected opportunity arises to escape to the idyllic village of Mermaids Point, he’s hot on the heels of his brother, Tom, who has recently moved there. Buying a rundown bookshop might be just his latest harebrained scheme, but Alex has never been one to do things by halves.

After spending her early years caring for her mother, Ivy Fisher is finally ready to start living her own life. But when the impossibly charming, impossibly good-looking Alex Nelson swoops in and snatches her dream out from under her nose, it really is the last straw. Forced by circumstances to spend more time with him, Ivy finally gets a peak of the real man beneath the confident exterior, and she likes what she sees.

But just when things are starting to come together for them, Ivy is reminded why men can never be trusted. Is Alex who he says he is, or is he using Mermaids Point as nothing more than research fodder for his next bestseller?

My Review:
A fan of this series, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into Love Blooms at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett. I needed a cosy, fun contemporary romance and knew that this would be just that. It’s that is the third book in the amazing Mermaids Point series, but you could read it as a standalone, although I really do recommend the other books too.

This is a series that is uplifting and this visit did leave me feeling happy and content. I love a book that has a strong sense of community like this, where characters support each other and are there for one another when things go wrong.

Crafty and creative Ivy is carefully dealing with the grief of losing her Mum. Although they knew it was coming, it has left Ivy feeling sensitive. When her world changes even more, she needs to find security so she can move forwards.

Alex, brother of local doctor Tom, is in need of a fresh start; he wants to go in a new direction, and he wants to settle in Mermaids Point. When he finds an exciting new venture, he jumps straight in, but is he thinking with his head or his heart?
When Alex provides Ivy with everything she needs, even if temporarily, will she accept? It will mean letting down the walls she has built and putting her trust in someone other than herself.
Such great chemistry between these two characters, it jumps off the page. I really like both characters, so this pairing is perfect in my eyes. I like how independent Ivy is, but I do see how a great guy like Alex will be a reliable and caring source of support for her.

Wonderful dialogue, fun characters and brilliant writing by Sarah Bennett, as always.
A romance filled with tension, drama and a naughty cat called Lucifer!
Highly recommended.

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/31ZLqTm

Author Bio:

Sarah Bennett is the bestselling author of several romantic fiction trilogies i;ncluding those set in Butterfly Cove and Lavender Bay. Born and raised in a military family she is happily married to her own Officer and when not reading or writing enjoys sailing the high seas. The first book in her new Mermaids Point trilogy for Boldwood was published in Spring 2021.

 

Social Media Links

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

Twitter  https://twitter.com/Sarahlou_writes

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

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SarahBennettnews

Murder At The Summer Fete - Victoria Walters

 

A fete worse than death…

After finding the killer of Lucy Roth six months ago, life has settled back to normal for bookshop owner, Nancy Hunter, and her grandmother, Jane. The annual Dedley End village fete is just around the corner, and Nancy is delighted when bestselling author, Thomas Green, agrees to launch his first new novel in ten years there.

But then a series of sinister events lead Nancy to realise someone is trying to sabotage their fete, so she, along with Jane and their journalist friend Jonathan, must turn detective to discover who isn’t at all thrilled about the return of Thomas Green.

When a body is discovered at the summer fete, the death scene mirroring that in Thomas’ latest bestseller, they realise that there’s another killer in Dedley End, but can they outsmart someone who appears to have pulled off the perfect crime?

The clues are right under Nancy and Jane’s noses, if only they can find them. Because the answers to life’s questions can always be found in a book…!

A twisty, unputdownable cozy mystery that fans of Richard Osman, S.J. Bennett and The Marlow Murder Club will love.

Purchase Links

AMZ: https://amzn.to/3HE7928  

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3JLSUtX

Apple: https://apple.co/3zDUyte

 My Review:

I loved Murder at the House on the Hill, so I’ve been excitedly awaiting this next instalment and it has not disappointed at all. Victoria Walters has created the perfect cosy murder mystery series here, I hope we have many more mysteries to solve (via Nancy and co!)
Bookshop owner, and amateur sleuth, is hosting her first author event during the annual village fete. She’s excited as the author is a famous best seller and former local, although this excitement dims slightly when she starts receiving threats against him. When a body is discovered during the fete in the very same circumstances described in the authors latest book, all eyes look to those close to him to discover who did it and why.
After their previous success in murder mystery solving and feeling responsible for the death taking place at their event, our favourite trio – Nancy, Jane and Jonathan leap into action once again, despite several warnings from the local police officials. Nancy is keen to figure out who had it in for popular writer and knows that time is of the essence.
Not everyone is happy that the sleuths are getting involved, making it clear they should keep their noses out. This time a lot more is at stake, lives are on the line.

I love trying to figure it all out along with Nancy and her Gran, this time did seem to have less suspects than the first book although I did have an inkling who might be the culprit, I was unsure as to why. It kept me entertained throughout, mystery, drama and a lot of fun.
It well written, good plot and interesting characters. Love this series and I cannot wait for the next book for more detective work!

Author Bio:

Victoria Walters writes up-lifting and inspiring stories. She's the author of the bestselling GLENDALE HALL series, which continues with its third book HOPEFUL HEARTS at GLENDALE HALL in September, as well as two other standalone novels - SUMMER at the KINDNESS CAFE, and THE SECOND LOVE of my LIFE. She has been chosen for WHSmith Fresh Talent and shortlisted for two RNA awards. Victoria was also picked as an Amazon Rising Star, and her books have won wide reader acclaim.

Victoria is a full-time author. She lives in Surrey with her cat Harry, and loves books, clothes, music, going out for tea and cake, and posting photos on Instagram.

Find out more about Victoria by following on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on Twitter at @Vicky_Walters or by visiting her blog at:https://victoria-writes.com/

The Blossom Tree of Dreams - Holly Martin

Welcome to the wonderful Wishing Wood, where incredible treehouses twinkle under a blanket of stars, the sea sparkles through the leaves, and true love is in the air. From the bestselling author of Sunlight over Crystal Sands comes this gorgeously romantic tale.

Indigo Bloom is on her way to beautiful Wishing Wood with some very big news. Two months ago she shared an incredible night with the most amazing man. She didn’t think she’d ever see River Brookfield again, but she never imagined she’d be showing up out of the blue to tell him she’s pregnant with his child.

Indigo’s heart longs for a fairytale ending. There’s just one problem: River doesn’t remember who Indigo is…

Crushed that a night that meant so much to her was so forgettable for him, Indigo resolves to keep her identity and her pregnancy secret until she gets to know the real River. But as they spend more time together, it’s clear that the incredible connection they shared that first night is stronger than ever, and that River might remember more than Indigo first thought.

The closer they get, Indigo’s secret becomes harder to share. Can Indigo find the courage to tell River the truth? And if she does, will she get the fairytale ending she’s been dreaming of?

Make all your dreams come true this summer with this feel-good love story that will sweep you off your feet. It’s the perfect read for fans of Jill Mansell, Sarah Morgan and Sue Moorcroft,

My Review:

Holly Martin is one of the absolute best at creating fantastic settings and locations as well as characters we take to heart. I am always hooked from the start and find myself engrossed in the story, unable to put it down and this is no exception.

I am so happy this is the start of a new series because I am desperate to get to know more of the characters in more depth.

Indigo is quite the leading lady; I LOVED her! One of my favourites so far I think. She finds herself in an unexpected situation and follows her gut, hoping someone remembers her just as much as she remembers him.

River (SWOON) along with his brothers has created a special, very unique treehouse resort and has ensured they are surrounded by people who love and want to support him. It’s an eclectic cast of characters but they compliment each other providing humour along the way.

The thought of a treehouse getaway really made me wish I could visit, it sounded enchanting; I’m sure everyone who reads this will feel the same.

Look out for the character you will love to hate, a truly despicable person who claimed to be a “friend.” Indigo doesn’t need people life her in her life, I just kept hoping she would see sense

This is a wonderful start to the series, well written with humour, charm and romance. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you to Holly for the chance to read and review.